CARA, KAHLAN: REINCARNATION AMONG THE FLAMING DEAD
by GREATSHOW
Summary: It has been many years since the legend of the Seeker was uttered from people's lips, and the 21st century has long since arrived. Much has changed, but evil remains, and heroes are needed. The reincarnations of Cara and Kahlan hope to fill this void.
1. EPISODE 1, PART 1

**Note: D****ecided to blend one of the script projects I created years ago, and am now working on again, with Legend of the Seeker. It goes under a different name and of course has nothing to do with _Legend of the Seeker_ in real-life, but within this story - it does. **This means my original characters and premise for another story are being infused into this one. Two of the main characters are traded out with Cara and Kahlan instead, and some things are mixed in. Transferred into book format for most desired reading within fanfiction fandom. **I originally said this story would not be as long as _Memories Guarded in Blue Paradise_, and would instead consist of one episode's worth, with extra minutes tagged on for changes that would happen within this version, but that has now changed. It is now a full-blown series.** Plus, this episode is actually two episodes combined - it's a two-parter. The story is also available at LiveJournal, where it may at times be rated R or higher. 

**ACT 1**

A fearsome wind formed outside of D'Hara High School, swirling and blending dirt and grass, faster and faster, until there was no doubt left that it was a tornado. Night had arrived, and no one was on campus. Thunder roared, and the air crackled with pops. Soon, the tornado faded, a person with black boots now standing in its place. The boots were of particular design. On their outer sides, diamond-shaped cuts existed in their center, glowing an angry red.

This person soon turned away from the school and walked off into the distance.

IIII

It was morning, and eighteen-year-old Cara stood in her room preparing for school. She was already dressed in what she would be wearing for the day - tight, red leather pants and a black, low-plunge V-neck shirt to draw attention to her cleavage. It was really nice cleavage, after all. But what she focused on in the mirror was her bee-stung lips as she applied lipstick to them. Those lips were both a curse and a blessing. A curse, because people often looked there instead of at her face when first meeting her (unless, of course, they found her cleavage first). And a blessing because that, combined with her long, blond hair, sparkling green eyes which could appear blue at the drop of a dime, and angelic-like face, enabled her to get away with almost anything. _People really are a sucker for good looks_, she thought, as she ran a hand through her luxurious locks and moved away from the mirror.

Cara sat on her huge bed and glanced around her enormous room. What a plain room, she decided. Maybe she should decorate it? With lots of girly things? That would help her to not focus on the annoying thoughts plaguing her day in and day out? But what to make of such annoying thoughts in regards to her love life? Dating these boys hadn't helped squelch the urges. Her new boyfriend, for example? She didn't want to date Bobby Alderson, but he helped keep up appearances.

Cara put on her high-heel leather boots. Good thing she never had to screw him. She grabbed her books and pencil from the desk next to her bed and headed for the door. She wouldn't needed a jacket. For some reason, it wasn't cold this time in February.

In the living room, she came across her mother watching television while sitting on the couch. "Ugh, just look at that," the light-haired woman in her late twenties said to Cara. Cara stopped beside her mother and looked in her direction, to the television screen to see two women kissing on some morning talk show. "So disgusting. I don't see how these women do it – give up men for someone who has the exact same thing between their legs," her mother finished.

Cara leaned in and kissed the older woman on the cheek. "You're right, ma. So disgusting." She then headed for the front door.

"Today's the start of your last semester as a senior, isn't it?"

Cara looked over her shoulder. "Yeah."

The older woman narrowed her eyes on the television screen. "Your father would say to make him proud. Get that diploma so that you can get the hell out of here."

"Sure thing, ma," replied Cara, going out the door.

IIII

At D'Hara High School, students made their way through the crowded campus area. The streets were busy with traffic, and buses headed along.

A slim, brown-haired boy stood in front of the school as others passed, with his backpack slung over his shoulder. His clothes were that of a major geek, but his features said, "Hunk."

Just then, a beautiful blonde girl with glasses approached, grabbing him by the arm with one hand and pushing the glasses back up on her face with the other. Her outfit? Skanky. "And how's the boy I call pain-in-my-ass Gicko?" she asked, briefly leaning into his ear. "Not to be confused with Geico."

"Funny, funny," Gicko rolled his eyes. "That commercial is so tired." He sighed, gaze still on the school. "If you must know, I'm fine. It's just so sad to believe that society has been reduced to this fame-obsessed state, where... Just look at that." He briefly pointed to the school. "Parents are jumping to send their kids to this school all because the President said it's one of the best academic high schools in the country. Hell, our parents sent us here. And you know it's not because of academics. It's because they want to be one of the ones to say, 'My kid went to one of those schools the President mentioned in one of those speeches.'"

The blonde leaned against Gicko's shoulder, looking up at the building as well. It was truly a magnificent piece, taller and bigger than any school she had ever seen, that's for sure. "Yep," she replied. "And it harbors the Haven't-Seen-You-In-Years Cara Mason... Wait ... No, forgot she goes by 'Cara Pyro' now."

Gicko raised his eyebrows. "She'll talk to us, right? I mean, she has to."

The blonde smiled. "Gicko, we've known Cara even before she was the fat baby pooping piles of it in our cribs. Stinking 'em up. You know, grew up together and all that. Of course...she'll have to talk to us."

Gicko grinned, the blonde throwing an arm around his shoulder as they headed for the school's entrance.

Inside, as they came in, Gicko leading, and both passing by groups of people, the blonde almost tripped over a red, diamond-shaped crystal; it skidded a little across the polished wood. Not one to turn down shiny things, the blonde walked to it and looked up to see Gicko still moving ahead, distancing himself through the crowd. Shrugging, she picked up the diamond-shaped crystal and went on her way.

IIII

"And this is why you're all here," Mr. Tanner pointed to a word on the dry-erase board. It read: Quality learning.

Cara rolled her eyes as she sat in the front row of the very full class. Mr. Tanner was cute but boring. On top of that, he had a girlish hairstyle, reminiscent of the "The Rachel" from the 90s show _Friends_, and the students hardly respected him.

He finished up his lecture with, "Any questions?"

There was an awkward silence.

A prissy girl smacking as loudly as she could on bubble gum batted her eyes at the man. "You got a girlfriend?"

A muscular boy shrugged, "And why is your hair like that?"

A curious boy rose his hand. "Yeah. Are you a sissy? 'Cause it's okay if you're a sissy. That's what my mama always said."

Mr. Tanner just sighed and dropped his head.

But soon, someone entered the class. Cara immediately froze as she watched the beautiful dark-haired girl close the door behind her and stride up to Mr. Tanner, offering him some type of note. As he took the note and read it, Cara's eyes took in every aspect of the girl's form. The brunette was tall, and she had legs for days, which her extremely short skirt was all too eager to show off. This was topped off with red, high heel shoes which matched her tight, red, long-sleeved shirt. And her eyes sparkled a blue Cara had never seen before._ Damn it! This girl... She will be 'the new me.'_

And like clockwork, there was already hooting and hollering in the ways of compliments and good cases of sexual harassment being made in the brunette's direction.

The girls, popular and not-so popular, looked threatened, and Cara knew they would be on her - Cara's - side about this: This brunette must be squashed.

Mr. Tanner silenced the room with waves of his hand, one of the rare occasions they quieted down at his request. "This here is Kahlan Amnell," he said. "A transfer student." He motioned for Kahlan to choose a seat. "This isn't kindergarten, young lady. That's as formal an introduction as you get. Now take a seat."

Kahlan, without even scanning the class, looked directly at Cara; the gaze was so penetrating and intimate Cara felt one of them had been impregnated right there on the spot. The other girl then looked to the empty seat next to Cara. _Oh no_, Cara thought, and looked away as quickly as she could. _Except, it won't matter anyway because you just knocked her up with your eyes_, Cara scolded herself. She made a silent prayer to whatever higher power: _Please don't sit here. Please don't sit here_.

Then, the chair pulled out from the desk beside her._ Damn it all to hell. _She really couldn't catch a break when she really needed one. She had made sure that seat stayed empty because she liked being able to make such demands, and now it had come back to bite her in the ass. For some reason, the brunette sitting next to her unnerved her deeply. But she could deal with this. She'd been through worse. It was just a girl. A very beautiful girl, but a girl nonetheless. She decided to look to her right to see what the other female was up to. _Yikes!_ Cara swiftly turned to face the dry-erase board. The brunette was staring at her, and openly. Only two kinds of people were allowed to look at her like that - boys she would use to remain popular and dirty old men she would use to remain an honor student. Cara sighed. This was going to be a long day.

IIII

Once class was over, Cara eased out of her chair, trying to ignore the brunette as much as possible. Others were leaving quickly, and she wanted to leave just as quickly. She managed to get past the brunette, but was stopped at the door by a friend. "Seems we have a dyke on our hands," said Becky, her gray eyes narrowing in Kahlan's direction. "I saw the way she was looking at you. The boys are going to be heart-broken to know she's pitching for the other team."

Cara looked in Kahlan's direction, seeing the brunette still packing up her books. "A dyke, you think?"

"And you know what we do about dykes," said Becky with a grin.

Cara turned back to her and smiled. "Throw them hos out."

They slapped hands, then left out the door, laughing.

Later, they approached Kahlan in the hallway with some other girls. Kahlan was stacking some things in her locker, and actually looked quite confused about what she was doing.

Cara slammed the locker shut, causing Kahlan to jump and look at her. The other girls behind Cara laughed. Becky moved to glare over Cara's shoulder at the raven-haired beauty.

"You should know...I rule this place," Cara faced Kahlan with her most menacing gaze. "And I don't like the way you were looking at me earlier today."

Becky whispered over Cara's shoulder, "Dyke."

Cara moved closer to Kahlan, and Kahlan met her gaze dead-on. "We don't like lesbos around these parts. So wherever you came from, maybe you should think about transferring back."

Becky and the other girls repeated in unison, "Transfer back." Kahlan just ignored them and kept her eyes fixated on Cara.

Cara grinned. "Don't you speak?"

Kahlan tightened her jaw and narrowed her eyes on the blond.

Frustrated, Cara knocked the books from the brunette's hand. In another instant, she slammed Kahlan into the locker, bringing their faces close. As she placed her right hand to rest beside Kahlan's head, their eyes locked, and she saw that this girl wasn't afraid of her in the least. Cara traced her eyes all over that determined face, staring back at her with just as much venom. And yet, there was something else there. Kahlan had lowered her gaze to Cara's lips, just like everyone else eventually did. But Cara felt she didn't mind it this time. In fact, she found herself eyeing Kahlan's lips as well. Something was thick in the air and threatened to break her mask, the mask she had so carefully built, crafted over all these years, and so she spoke, eyes still on Kahlan's pretty mouth. "It doesn't matter if you can speak or not. Do you know why?" She noticed the tiny scar at the left of Kahlan's top lip, and her mind fought against touching a finger there. "Because if I point, you will hop. If I point, you will bounce. If I point, you will do whatever it is my pointing means for you to do. No words are needed to understand... You either follow, or try to lead."

Cara pulled back. Kahlan was still eyeing that plump mouth. After another moment, she looked up again, to Cara's eyes. "And if you're going to try to lead, Kahlan, just know it will be one hell of a fight."

And with that, Cara stepped on the girl's books, then moved ahead, the other girls giving their own menacing gazes Kahlan's way as they followed Cara. Becky nearly jumped Cara's shoulder, laughing so hard. "That was hilarious! Love the way you played on her sexual attraction to you by moving so close."

Cara grinned nervously. "Yeah." She looked briefly over her other shoulder, at Kahlan, to see the girl still watching her. _Weird vibe, that one_, she thought, then continued on.

IIII

In the wide area of the hall, many students passed down the open space, headed to classes.

Cara came walking along the area by herself, when, out of nowhere, Gicko and his blonde companion approached, stopping right in front of her. "Cara!" yelled Gicko.

To say that surprise marked Cara's face would be an understatement. "Gicko. And..."

The blonde companion gulped down a beer, head held back; she then held up a finger as to signal the others to wait. In another second or two, she finished the beer, crushed the can in her hand, and then burped a long and disturbing one.

Cara made a somewhat unappealing face. "The same beer-belching bitch Hyper."

Hyper smiled wide, throwing an arm around Cara's neck and hugging tightly. "Cara!"

Cara carefully pushed the other woman off of her, and looked to them both, irritated. "What are you two doing here?"

"How can you ask your two bestest pals in the whole world that? As if we'd need a reason to visit you after all these years."

Cara arched a skeptical eyebrow.

"Okay. We were sent here by our parents. Famous school and all," he admitted.

Cara sighed. "You too. Ugh, this school is a like a magnet for all kinds of people now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gicko frowned.

Hyper walked across the wide area, to a door and opened it. She pushed the glasses back up on her face. "We could live here. So clean and neat." She threw her bags and empty can of beer into the room. "I'll just drop my stuff off in there." The blonde closed the door and then walked back to Cara and Gicko. Cara just stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Listen, guys, I really have to go," said Cara. She checked her watch. "And my boy's gonna bust my ass if I don't leave now."

Hyper grinned from ear to ear. "Your boyfriend? Oh, I bet he's a hunk. You always only dated the hottest guys."

Cara turned, walking away, but her lighter fell out of her back pocket. Gicko noticed and picked it up. "Cara?"

Cara stopped to look back at him. Gicko flared up the lighter. "Your lighter," he said, before tossing it back to Cara. "Never know when you're going to need it."

Cara just smiled, then left.

IIII

In another classroom full of students seated at their desks, Becky and a boy acted out the scripts in their hands.

"And so you see, that's why I love you, Brad," said Becky dramatically.

"Oh, yes, I see. I see clearly now," said the boy in turn.

And with that, Becky and "Brad" kissed, throwing their scripts down. Their kissing, however, was not going smoothly. In fact, they were having great difficulty.

Some of the students snickered.

Becky and "Brad" pulled apart, and Becky popped him in the back of the head. "Jerk," she uttered.

Cara grinned.

They both went to their seats.

The teacher of the drama class explained, "Now you see! This couple was lacking something. And it would've been very valuable on screen... Knowing how to act with someone as a love interest is very important, to the point where you must have something that this couple didn't." He paused. "Can anyone tell me what that is?"

There was silence. Blank faces.

The teacher emphasized, "Chemistry. Now I want all of you to say it with me." He used his hands, "Chem-is-try."

The students didn't listen, and Cara wondered why this school was thought of as one of the best.

The teacher again tried to urge them on, "Come on. Say it. Chem-is-try."

Again, he was ignored, as the students went back to working. "I don't know why I even bother," he muttered.

Feeling sorry for the guy, though she usually never cared for teachers or anyone these days, Cara offered to help. "Here, let me," she stood, walking in front of the class. The class immediately looked up to her, rapt with attention. The teacher's face could only be described as one of jealousy.

Just as Cara was about to speak, Bobby Alderson, her boyfriend walked in, immediately walking to her. He pulled her into his arms, and kissed her passionately.

The class finally said, "Chem-is-try."

The teacher rolled his eyes. "Cut it out. Cut it out."

IIII

In a corridor later on, the two stood close as they talked. "What were you thinking, kissing me in class like that?" asked Cara, pursing her lips together. She'd rather not kiss Bobby, really, and being all touchy-feely just wasn't her.

Like a blessing, Gicko and Hyper approached, jumping out in front of them. The two were like cockroaches, that was for sure, but at least they came in handy every now and again.

"Cara!" yelled Gicko, just like last time.

"I thought I told you two," she started, but then sighed with insincere annoyance. She looked to Bobby. "Bobby, this is Gicko and Hyper." She looked to Gicko and Hyper." "You two, this is Bobby."

Bobby looked to Gicko weirdly. "That's his name? You mean - like that old commercial?"

Hyper grinned at Bobby, this dashing dark-haired man. "Ha! I knew you were good-looking. Cara here only dates good-looking men." Hyper started to talk fast, in that non-stop way she often did. "Not to say she has a problem with ugly men. Or partially ugly men. Or that she suffers from some good-looking man complex. And it's not like she blames her parents' violent relationship on the fact that one was mediocre-looking while the other was stunningly beautiful. Not like she thought they had nothing in common because she feels to have something in common, you should both be drop-dead gorgeous. No. No. That's not the case at all."

There was silence, Cara, Gicko and Bobby staring blankly at her.

"And I'm guessing that's why you call her Hyper," said Bobby with a sneer.

"And that guess would be correct," smirked Cara.

Hyper became embarrassed. "Sorry. I tend to do that a lot." And unable to help herself, she started up again. "Not to say I can't do that a little. Or a little I can't do. It's just -"

Gicko quickly threw a hand over Hyper's mouth, shutting her up. "She tends to do that a whole lot," he explained.

Bobby rolled his eyes, then turned back to Cara. "Baby, how many times have I told you to be careful not to pick incompetent friends?"

Gicko stepped to him, offended. "Hey! You can't talk about us like that. Why, any second now Cara is going to put you in your place, bitch."

Bobby scoffed. "We're leaving." He walked ahead, then stopped to look back at Cara. "Cara?"

Cara looked away from him, then to Gicko and Hyper.

"Cara, girl, defend us," pleaded Hyper.

Cara just looked away, walking ahead to join Bobby's side. And they both left.

Hyper and Gicko just watched them exit.

IIII

In another corridor, Cara and Bobby stopped, Cara trying to see what he had in his hand. "What?" he asked. "It's just the necklace you bought me." He put the unique-looking necklace, tiny white orb in its center, on. "So...I'll see you at The Ditch tonight, right? I mean, it's still the best place for all us youth-driven people to party."

"Yeah."

They kissed.

"Bye. Love you, Babe," said Bobby. Cara nearly cringed at those words. She watched him retreat down the corridor.

After a few moments, she turned to exit out the side door, coming along the playground that was there for teenage mothers and fathers. Goodness, the school even had a daycare system. At least the playground was empty, she thought, as she walked across the grass, her eyes focused there. But when she looked up again, she saw a little blond boy, dressed in a suit, hair slicked back, running to her. He stopped before her and grabbed at her top.

"Quick. You gotta help my brother," stated the child.

Cara looked mildly concerned for the young one. "Hey! Calm down, little guy. What are you doing here? Surely, you're not all alo-"

"You don't understand!" he exclaimed. "If my brother fights him, he'll die. There's gonna be a big fight. My name is Tyler Blondes. And you've gotta stop my brother. Please! When you find him, come back here!"

After that, the boy ran away, leaving Cara to wonder.

Back inside the school, on the sixth floor, two boys were indeed fighting...brutally. A crowd of people watched as the two shared blow after blow. The first boy punched the second boy, and the second boy kicked the first through a closed door.

The audience "oohed" in amazement at the second boy's strength, and the second boy triumphantly raised his arms high in the air, growling ferociously.

IIII

At the porch area of the school, students passed by; others conversed. Cara, Gicko and Hyper sat and conversed as well. "...And I'm really sorry, you guys. You know - about the way I treated you earlier. He's my boyfriend, okay?"

Gicko shrugged. "Still no excuse."

"Yeah, I think you should dump the bastard," added Hyper.

"Hello! Can we get back to the real subject here? The weird blond kid," asked Cara.

Gicko relented. "Right. And you've never seen him before?"

"No. Have you two?"

"Can't say that we have, buddy," uttered Hyper. "Speaking of never seeing something before..." She pulled out the red, diamond-shaped crystal, and held it out in front of them. "Ever laid your eyes on this piece of rock?"

Cara pursed her lips together. "That's just like mine." She pulled out her own diamond-shaped crystal. "There were - strangely - a few of them located around school. Can't figure if they're real, though."

Cara and Hyper placed their crystals on the table.

"I'm thinking your letting go of those jewels means you guys could care less about them?" asked Gicko.

Cara and Hyper shrugged.

"Excellent! More for me," Gicko grinned. He stuffed the crystals into his pocket.

Bobby approached, stopping behind Cara with a sigh. "Hanging out with the geeks again? You know, Cara, you may be the same age as them, but I can tell you now...their IQs are far lower on the par."

Gicko and Hyper gave Cara an "it's now or never" look. She knew what she had to do. "Bobby, these are my friends," she started. "My true friends. So believe me when I say if you don't learn how to get along with them, then I will - as Hyper thinks I should - dump your ass."

Bobby gasped. Gicko and Hyper snickered.

"And, really, Bobby," added Hyper, "you're what, 24? Messing with our 18-year-old Cara here? Couldn't find someone your own age?"

"I'm not..." Bobby frowned.

Cara smirked. It was true; he looked much older than he was. Then again, Cara had seen plenty of 24-year-olds who looked their age.

Bobby finally got his anger under control. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the major fight taking place on the sixth floor as we speak. I was just watching. And I came here to tell -"

"Wait! Fight?" Cara questioned.

Cara looked to Gicko and Hyper, worried. "Guys, the boy. The fight."

"Go!" Hyper encouraged.

"Yeah, we'll keep Bobby annoyed. I mean - company," stated Gicko.

Cara dashed from the porch, running to the entrance.

Bobby turned from Cara's direction to look at Gicko and Hyper; they smiled wickedly at him.

IIII

In the wide area of the school, the second boy was beating the first boy relentlessly, and now an even bigger crowd of people surrounded them.

From the end of the hall, however, a few cops came running to stop the boys, making a pathway through the crowd. "Hey, you two!" yelled the first cop.

At the end of the wide area hall, Cara appeared, breathing heavily, and stopped to watch.

The cops came upon the two boys, but the second boy pushed the first one down, then turned around and jumped through the window, breaking and shattering its glass. People backed away to shield themselves from the shards. But the cops and some nosy people ran to the window to look out.

"Did you see that," asked one nosy person. "He just vanished. We're six floors up."

"Yeah, where the hell did he go? The bastard's gone," noted another.

The few cops now in the hall signaled to one another to move out and search, and jetted off in opposite directions.

Cara ran to the first boy, watching people help the sore kid up. Others went about their business.

Cara moved to the window to assess the matter, only to hear another person say, "Man, he just disappeared."

Suddenly, Cara saw the second boy dashing across the campus. "What the f-"

IIII

Back at the playground, Tyler Blondes stood against the jungle gym, his back to Cara as Cara exited out a door and stopped behind him. "Think I found your brother," she said.

Blondes shifted a little, though keeping his back to Cara. "Are you afraid he made the boy a monster?"

Cara gave him a questioning look. Blondes continued, "Don't worry. A person can only be turned into a zombie if killed at night, then taken to their master as a choice zombie to be brought back to life... And by the way," he finally turned to view Cara, "he isn't my brother."

Cara met the weird boy's gaze. He added, "Got you here, didn't it?"

Cara smirked. "Okay. Maybe it's time I take you to your mother."

"How about I take you to yours?" retorted Blondes. "Watch as she preaches to you about gays and lesbians being abominations, and you - out of aggravation - go flirt with as many young men as you can."

Cara became defensive. "You don't know the first thing about my mother. Or me, little boy."

"I know you like fire. So much, in fact, that it's the reason you carry around a lighter. It's part of the reason you changed your last name to Pyro."

Cara scoffed, then turned to walk away. Blondes continued. "I know you are a Flamer!"

Cara jerked back around to stare at Blondes. "If you're insinuating -"

"I don't mean that kind of flamer," he clarified. "Your soul is that of a particular Mord-Sith. You are also descendant of a long line of Flamers - a group of the strongest. Missing link to the human race. Born for main reasons and purposes to protect mankind against the darkest forces of this world, especially zombies." He paused, letting the words sink in. "You are the reincarnation of the Mord-Sith Cara Mason from a time long, long ago. Things have changed over the many years. D'Hara is no longer a great land but rather this obnoxiously sheltered town, bloodlines have been mixed. Banelings are now what we call zombies, and you are now Cara Pyro... You requested a name change once you found out that your father had been abusive to your mother. Ashamed of him, you took her last name - Pyro. But that does not stop the fact that your blood screams, "Mason... Cara Mason."

Cara stepped back, clearly freaked out. Blondes pressed further, "And Cara Mason, you had no idea what your father was. What you are. But it's not your fault."

Never taking his eyes off Cara, Blondes pulled at the jungle gym bar. A holographic screen appeared right before Cara's eyes and she stopped to view it.

"I believe this town provides you with incredible strength. It gives you this to fight demons -"

On the holographic screen, a hideous creature appeared, as well as other such creatures and beings mentioned by Blondes. "- To battle witches, warlocks, you name it. You must believe me, Cara. These things exist."

Cara smiled, and raked her hands through her blond hair. "You know, this whole holographic thing is really cool. Almost had me. And since we're waiting for the hidden cameras to reveal I'm on some reality show, let's just say - for arguments sake - that they are real. How do you know so much about these monsters?"

"Well, I'm a Youngster," stated Blondes.

Cara twitched. "Obviously."

"No. You misunderstand. I'm a Youngster - a race of people who only age on up to that of thirteen. After that, we are thirteen forever. This is to provide the Flamer with youthful thoughts - objective against their ever cynical, aging mind. Since we are immortal, there are only sixteen of us. All part of the Youngsters Circle."

Blondes pulled at the jungle gym bar again, and the holographic screen disappeared. "I am - as of right now - six years of age," he said.

Cara started to back away again. "You know what? If this is a prank, I don't even care anymore. I just want out of this conversation."

She turned her back to Blondes, walking toward the exit.

Blondes yelled after her. "This isn't a game, Mord-Sith... You hear me, Flamer! That boy, the one who won the fight - believe it or not - is a zombie. And more will come. They will come for you."

Cara spun around, eyes flashing furiously on Blondes. "Oh, yeah? And will 'they' have an army?"

IIII

In a zombie graveyard, someone wearing black boots, diamond-shaped cuts in the center of their outer sides, stood. "We will conquer them all. It will be a time of great reckoning," this person breathed out loudly, also wearing a black leather ensemble. "Yes, we will conquer them all."

The person was King Zombie, face grotesquely-made; the look of someone who'd been burned alive... The pulsating veins lining his face only added to the horror. "Yes my babies... It is our time."

Before him, there stood a dozen normal-looking men and women. King Zombie continued, "We will - conqueeeeeer!"

The men hooted and hollered.

King Zombie smiled.

**ACT 2**

At night, in the empty parking lot of a fast food place, Cara's Mercedes-Benz pulled up and parked. Cara sat at the wheel, mom next to her. "Are you okay?" the older woman asked. "You've been quiet all day."

"Fine, ma," she said. Then pointed to Burger Barn. "Your new job, remember?"

The woman kissed Cara on the cheek. "Well, alright." She exited the car.

"And, ma?" questioned Cara. "Try not to bitch about the hours, okay? I promise you - there will be a day when we won't have to worry about money again. And the type of cars I drive now will belong to me and me only. Not my boyfriends."

"I wish you had just accepted your father's will. But, no...you just had to give it to charity," the other woman barked, then slammed the door.

Cara just sighed. Her mother would never understand. She wondered if there was any self-respect in the woman.

IIII

On the road, Cara sped. At a four-lane crossroad, however, the car halted at a stop sign. Cara looked both ways; there was no danger. She moved ahead again, but as if summoned out of thin air, another car slammed into hers, both cars crashing and skidding out of control.

After awhile, the cars stopped.

Cara, her head bleeding against the steering wheel, moaned. She then looked up. Her vision was blurry, but through the windshield, she could a see a dark figure exit out of the opposite car, then run down the street.

Cara quickly exited "her" own car. "Hey!" she screamed after the dark figure. She jetted ahead, running into the street, looking around. Her legs, though, immediately became weak, and she staggered, close to falling out.

From the other end of the street, a van sped for Cara, just as a dark figure jumped out and pushed her out of the way, tackling her to the ground and causing her to slam into a tree on the turfs of grass near a sidewalk.

The van continued to speed away.

Cara, sitting up against the tree, looked up and saw Kahlan Amnell kneeling before her. A dark cloak covered her clothes, and her makeup was a little thicker than Cara remembered. Cara tried to focus. _What is Kahlan doing here? _But her vision became blurry again, and then it was black. She passed out.

When Cara awoke, she moved slowly against the pain. Something was holding her in place. She opened her eyes to find that Kahlan had strung her up on one of the tree's branches, by her wrists, and was now wrapping the other end of the rope around the damn tree.

Kahlan finished tying the rope, then moved closer to Cara, staring up at her, almost as if in awe. She touched the blond's hair, gently running her fingers through it, and then giggling.

Cara pushed her off with a leg, Kahlan playfully coming back to her again. "Dyke," Cara spat out.

With a frown, Kahlan reached for the blond and ripped the woman's V-neck shirt open, exposing her racy black bra, and seemingly with little effort.

Cara gasped, watching the other woman oddly. _What in the hell is she doing? Is she really into girls, after all? _Kahlan now touched her neck, provocatively gliding a gloved hand from there down near the center of her chest. The fingertips of those gloves were removed, and Kahlan's fingers against her bare skin left goose bumps in their wake. Kahlan's eyes lingered on Cara's chest, and, for a moment, Cara believed the brunette would remove her bra too. But instead, she simply eyed the mounds as though she had never seen any but her own. Her fingertips were dangerously close to grazing the flesh, and Cara felt... _What is this feeling? Arousal?_

Kahlan glided her fingers further...down Cara's abdomen, eyes tracing every movement. She stopped just above the blond's navel, then looked back up at her as if asking for approval with her eyes alone.

With that, Kahlan unbuckled Cara's pants, eyeing her intently as she did. That deep, penetrating gaze was back, and Cara felt herself turn to mush. She blushed and panicked at the same time. _This could not be happening. This wasn't suppose to happen_. Her mother would not approve.

Kahlan only succeeded in unbuckling them halfway, however, as a small car approached. Quickly, she used a dagger to cut one of Cara's hands free and grabbed it; the contact burned a symbol on the front of it, and Cara grunted at the pain.

Kahlan quickly jetted off.

Blondes jumped out of the small, yellow car, running to Cara. "My God, Cara, were you raped, woman?"

She nearly smirked. "Sounds all kinds of wrong...but I don't think I'd have minded."

As soon as she said it, though, she felt she should take it back. She shouldn't…wouldn't…couldn't desire another woman. That was how things were supposed to be.


	2. PART 2

Blondes threw a flying utensil at the rope, cutting Cara down as she fell to her knees, the utensil returning back to Blondes. He placed a hand on the Mord-Sith's shoulder. "What do you mean you wouldn't have minded?"

Cara shook her head. "Never mind that." She looked up at him and then to the yellow car. "You drive?"

"I can." He looked to the totaled cars, the ones from the crash; one was fully in the street, sideways, and the other was before it, partially on the grass…in front of someone's house. "But apparently you can't." He turned back to the woman, who was now holding a hand to her head, wiping at the blood. "Are you sure you're okay? And what about the other driver? What happened?"

Cara slowly rose to her feet, using Blondes's right shoulder as leverage. "The other person is fine. And so am I." She wasn't fine, however. She was quite stirred. Quite confused. And she wanted everything to go back to how it was before... Before Blondes and before this Kahlan Amnell. "I'll explain later. But right now, I gotta get to The Ditch." She made a move to buckle her pants up all the way.

Blondes raised his eyebrows. "The Ditch? Is that like a metaphor for your home?... What about the accident?"

Cara shrugged, yanking the torn shirt away from her body. "I'll call in. But I have to meet Bobby tonight."

Blondes gave her a questioning look. Cara clarified, "My boyfriend. I may not respond much to his romantic advances, but I care about him. He's a nice guy, and he keeps me sane. He also helps keep me on the popular circuit. Status means everything in this town. And so does keeping your word." She looked to Blondes. "You got a spare shirt?"

IIII

As the name suggested, The Ditch was...well...a huge ditch, the look of a gigantic impact crater having plunged into the earth. Many teenagers were partying within it - making out everywhere, standing and conversing, some sitting in chairs around tables, all while a few fires randomly lit the area and music blared from car radios and the like.

Cara walked through the crowd with Blondes at her side. She was now wearing a shirt they'd found in his car - a tight, yellow thing which exposed much of her midriff. And she hadn't even bothered to clean the dried-up blood from her head, but she didn't care. She needed to find Bobby. He would make everything normal again. Make her normal again.

Cara spotted Gicko some distance away, sitting at a table by himself and eating a bowl of popcorn. "Look, there's Gicko," she said. "Not that he'd care, but maybe he knows if Bobby's been here."

They made their way to Gicko and sat at either side of him. Gicko made a surprised face, popcorn falling from his mouth. "Cara." He looked to Blondes. "And..."

Cara shrugged. "That's Blondes. He won't be talking. But me? I need to know where Bobby is."

Gicko looked at the blood staining his friend's brow. "Um, Cara, girl, are you okay? Because -"

"-Just - have you seen him?" Cara was aggravated.

Gicko placed the bowl of popcorn on the table. "You're wrong for even askin'... But since we're discussing missing people...you think Hyper's around here anywhere? You know how it is with women. When they want you, they want you."

Cara nearly fell out of her chair; she was already sitting on the edge. She knew there had been some level of sexual attraction between Gicko and Hyper, ever since they were fourteen. But for one of them to actually admit it?... "Whoa! Are you saying that you want her? You want Hyper?"

Gicko blushed. "No! Why? If I did, would that be weird?"

Cara laughed.

Blondes just yawned.

"Only if she doesn't want you," replied Cara. "See, you have to play things out right. Offer her some jewelry - something shiny. We both know she loves shiny things. Say it's just a gift between two friends. If she says, 'Cool,' then better luck next time. But if she says, 'Oh, Gicko, I've been meaning to give you something too, then you're in."

Gicko smiled. Cara smirked. "It means she's been thinking about you and that moment for some time now." She grabbed him by the shoulders. "Really. Try it. I gotta go."

Cara walked away, Blondes following.

Gicko smiled even wider, then pulled out a red, diamond-shaped jewel. 'Give her something shiny,'" he repeated.

From a shadowed area, a cloaked zombie, somewhat gruesome but also halfway normal-looking, watched Gicko...and his jewel.

At a less crowded area, Cara and Blondes stopped to talk, watching young people party as they did. "Well, where do you think my boyfriend could have wondered off to, Blondes? You seem like a ladies man. Or ladies boy. Maybe you know how men thi-"

"Cara!" Blondes yelled, looking up at her. "Besides the fact that I've never met your boyfriend, he's irrelevant to the point. There are more pressing matters at hand."

Cara scoffed. "Right. Right. Zombies are real. My family has stopped them for centuries. Whatever."

"This is not a whatever-situation." He pointed to Cara's chest. "From within you it burns."

Cara held up her left arm. "Yeah, not as much as my hand does." She winced. "Damn."

Blondes grabbed Cara's hand and looked down at it. The ancient-looking mark had made the skin around it blotchy red. Blondes quickly looked back up at her. "Good Lord, Cara, how did you come about this?"

Cara sneered. "That bitch."

"Excuse me?" Blondes furrowed his little eyebrows together.

Cara explained, "This girl. Attractive. Blue eyes. A weird cloak. Might've been an attractive Jedi."

"This is no time for joking, Cara. Burns of this kind were only popular around times of raising grounds. It means the mark of life - honored life. I'm not sure as to its main purpose, but -"

"Oh, I don't know - to be a tattoo?"

"This isn't funny," Blondes stressed again. "I need to get back to the playground, do my holographic research. And more importantly - find this girl."

"I've told you everything I know about her," she lied. "So what are you gonna do, lecture me some more?"

IIII

At the most crowded area of The Ditch, Bobby sat at a table with a few of his good-looking friends. "You see, I don't even know why I put up with Cara. She's not even here."

"Probably because she's major-fine," his friend Leon barked.

"Yeah, probably," Bobby agreed.

They all laughed.

Leon looked to his right and saw Hyper sitting about five feet away. "Who's the hottie? I mean, glasses and all. Can you say pin-up girl for the new millennium?"

Bobby saw this and shook his head. "Careful. That's Cara's geek-girl friend…nicknamed Hyper. Her burps are foul. Plus, the whole sitting-with-her-legs-wide-open thing? Definitely not the girl you want to take home to mother."

Leon growled, "Damn it. Whoever heard of a hot, foul-ass belching babe?"

A third guy at the table agreed. "Tell me about it."

Bobby and his friends got up from the table and walked away.

IIII

Cara patted Blondes on the head, messing up his slicked back hair. "No, we grew up together. Gicko, Hyper and me. You know everything else about me, but you didn't know this?"

"Can't know everything." He took out a comb and slicked his hair back. "For example, this town is called Firesridge, but from all the news about D'Hara High School, one would think the town bears the name as well."

Cara rubbed at her wrists, and revealed more of her past, "Since my ma was eleven when she had me - and my father fourteen - Gicko's mom raised all three of us - me, my ma, and Gicko. Gicko's mom took her in when her parents kicked her out. My dad didn't have to worry about being abandoned, seeing as his parents openly embraced him, and claimed my ma was a whore. That I probably wasn't his. If an eleven-year-old girl was out having sex, she was likely having sex with more than one boy, they reasoned." Cara sighed. "Anyway, the last time I saw Gicko and Hyper, we were all fourteen."

"And monsters?"

"Sure, I've believed in things before," Cara rolled her eyes. "Just never Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy... And oh, yeah...zombies!"

Blondes put his comb back into his, pocket, eyeing Cara as though she were a child who needed scolding. "Well, a Flamer should. You should, Cara Mason. And you will."

"Will!" Cara yelped.

Blondes smiled, feeling the woman had finally gotten the message. "Yes, you will."

"No. Will Turzing," Cara explained.

Cara was looking at the more crowded area, where she saw Hyper with a tall, pale guy. They were laughing and really enjoying each other's company. "Hyper's ex-boyfriend," said Cara. "What the hell's he doing here? And with Hyper?"

IIII

Hyper jokingly punched Will in the chest. "God, Will. And you came all this way just to see me?"

The slim dark-haired guy grinned his reply, "And you know this."

"Still the sweetheart," Hyper smiled back.

Several feet away, Gicko spilled drink on his shirt. He started to wipe at it, and then hurriedly unbuttoned the fabric, revealing an amazing pack of washboard abs.

A few girls from a distance noticed Gicko...and his abs. They had been talking about all the cute guys at the party. "...Speaking of fine," one of the girls said.

Another girl, Becky, made an annoyed face. "Oh please! That's Gicko. One of Cara's geeky friends. Trust me. You could save yourself the embarrassment."

The third girl shook her head at the waste. "Since when do they make hot geeks?"

"Tell me about it," uttered the final girl.

Becky and her friends walked off.

IIII

Cara steadily watched Hyper and Will. Blondes was bored beside her, watching as well. "Hey, maybe she knows where Bobby is. C'omn."

Cara ran ahead, Blondes staying behind to mumble something and slick his hair back with his comb. "Yeah, sure. Right after I neglect getting killed by a zombie while looking for my girlfriend in the process," came his sarcastic reply.

Cara made it to Hyper and Will. "Hey, Hyper, have you seen Bobby?"

Hyper gave Cara the once-over, spotting what surely had to be blood on her friend's brow and in her hair. "I think the question you're looking for is, 'Have you seen a doctor?'" She pulled at Cara's tight, yellow, midriff baring top. Hmm. Showing off her abs was not Cara's style, at all. Never had been. "`Cause Cara... I'm talking, 'Huh?'" she added for emphasis.

Cara shrugged. "Never mind me. I need Bobby."

Will regarded Cara with a warm smile. "Hey, Cara. Long time no see."

Cara sneered in his direction, and Will got the point.

Hyper sighed. "Okay, have you asked Gicko?"

"Yeah, but you know him. He's always speeding in one direction or another -"

Just then, Gicko was thrown into the air, hollering as he crashed into the branches of the nearest tree. The zombie creature smiled up at his handy work, then discarded its cloak, revealing huge biceps, and a thick red chest; its legs were just as big, but were covered by ripped jeans. Its face was half human...but the other half looked as though skin had been peeling from it for days, partial skeleton showing through.

The monster growled back up at Gicko.

Seeing the beast, people started to run and scream, tumbling over each other. "What is that?" yelled one horrified boy.

Will turned around and spotted the big zombie. Then ran off screeching like a little girl.

Hyper called after him. "Will! Will, come back."

Cara stifled a giggle. "And people say Mr. Tanner's the sissy."

Cara finally looked at the creature. And Blondes felt vindicated, approaching them both. "Now do you believe me?" he asked Cara.

Hyper shrugged. Who was this little kid? But, still, she was unimpressed. "Looks like my Uncle Booger."

Blondes was perplexed by such a reply. "And you aren't frightened?"

Cara clarified, "She has a really ugly family."

They all nodded as if that explained everything.

In the tree area, several feet away, Gicko moaned.

"Gicko," Cara breathed, all three running to where he and the zombie were.

The big zombie stared Cara down. Soon, two more zombies joined his side; they were smaller, but looked just as fierce. Big Zombie laughed, then dropped something shiny on the ground, before running off with his pals in the opposite direction.

Cara moved forward, eyes on what the zombie left behind.

Gicko was working his way down the tree. "I'm okay. Yeah. Sore as hell. But I'm okay."

Cara picked up the shiny object, revealing it to be Bobby's necklace - the one she had given him.

Hyper and Blondes finished helping Gicko down, then rushed to Cara's side. Gicko limped behind them. "Cara, what is it?" questioned Hyper.

Cara, never taking her eyes away from the zombies' direction of escape, held up the necklace. "They got Bobby," she uttered.

**ACT 3**

At the zombie graveyard, bones and skulls were scattered about. The earth was gray, and the environment looked as though it could suck your soul out just by stepping n it.

The big zombie entered, just as King Zombie looked up to the dark, night sky. He stood a little ways off, his back turned. "We've found what you've been looking for, King Zombie."

King Zombie did not budge. "You've found it? You mean - both of them?"

"Yes," came the reply.

King Zombie closed his eyes. "Raising Ground. With an army, we will conquer. Raising Ground."

The big zombie continued, "Once you have them, the destruction of the power center can begin."

King Zombie snapped his fingers and a holographic screen appeared before them; on it, there was a layout of the town, a few areas highlighted green. "The highlighted areas are to be the only ones harboring our force... It's not enough."

"I'm headed back out to assist my lackies in obtaining them. Out to obtain the most important - The one they call Gicko."

"Ah, Gicko, is it?" King Zombie pondered. "Bring him. You must bring this Gicko to me."

The big zombie started to head, off, but -

"Bron?" questioned King Zombie.

Big Bron looked back around, and the king continued, "Not to be confused with Geico."

Bron nodded his understanding.

King Zombie knew Big Bron was slow, and he certainly didn't need him bringing back a sign as he did last time.

IIII

In the street, Cara, Blondes, Hyper and Gicko walked. Cara led them all. She squatted down to pick something up and examine it, sniffing it a second later. "They went this way," she told the others.

"Just when you thought that Girl Scout training would never come in handy," remarked Hyper.

Blondes protested. "Cara, you must stop. Surely, you know you're being led into -"

"-A trap?" Cara finished. "Yeah, I do watch T.V., Blondes. I just have to be certain as to where they..."

Cara suddenly looked up to see Firesridge Morgue standing tall before them, about fifteen feet away.

"...Went," Cara continued her train of thought.

Gicko made a confused face. "Why would they go to the morgue?"

Hyper rolled her eyes, "Hello! Dead people," she remarked to Gicko, who could be so dense at times.

Blondes agreed. "And that's just one of the four morgues in this town."

Gicko gave Blondes a "You gotta be kidding me" face. Blondes didn't miss a beat. "An unusual amount of people die here in Firesridge - not to mention more move to this place everyday, only to wind up dead."

Cara clinched her jaw, staring straight ahead. "This is it, gang."

They all headed for Firesridge Morgue.

IIII

Inside one of the cold chambers, they looked around in every direction.

"That's just great, Cara. Lead us into the one room full of all the dead people," remarked Gicko.

Hyper nodded. "Yeah, Cara. I see the trap - here. And I see the bait - us. But I see no Bobby.

Cara frowned. "Those monsters. Whatever they are. They must be torturing him somewhere. God, he must be suffering."

IIII

On a road somewhere, Bobby drove his black Porsche further into the night. The retractable top was down, and his male friends, three of them, gulped down beer in the back.

"Whoo! Bobby, you know how to party, boy," Leon screamed. He reached over the front seat, offering Bobby some beer. "Want?"

Bobby sighed, eyes still on the road. "No, Leon. I already told you. I don't drink and laugh. That could cause a world of trouble."

Leon snickered, Bobby chuckling.

Another boy leaned against Bobby's seat. "Hey. What happened to that pretty necklace Cara gave you?"

Bobby frowned. "Oh that. I gave it to some crusty, cloaked man back at The Ditch." Bobby knew it had been cruel to do so, but he was furious with Cara. How could she not show up? He'd given her the best three months of his life - of her life, and this is how she'd repaid him? He had even abstained from pressing her for sex because she'd said she wasn't ready. And, really, he needed 'some.' Every man needed 'some.' Did Cara not see all he had sacrificed for her? How could she stand him up like that, without even a phone call?

Bobby adjusted his rear-view mirror. It must be those "new" friends of hers, he concluded. "I was just so pissed at Cara for not showing up," he soon told his friends. "And you know what? It's probably for the best."

IIII

Cara's hand wrapped tightly around Bobby's necklace.

Suddenly, Big Bron and three fellow zombies entered the cold chamber. "Yeah, that necklace was a good touch, wasn't it? I know it belongs to your bitch. Sorry he ain't here."

Cara narrowed her eyes on the zombies, her friends cautious behind her. Big Bron admitted, "He was never here. But your boy didn't seem to want the necklace anymore, so we used it our advantage." He moved a bit closer. "I know who you are," his gaze held Cara's. "What you are."

Hyper angered. "Look who's talking," she spat the zombies' way.

With that, one of the zombies moved forward a little, ahead of Big Bron. "Watch out, boys. She's a screamer. Trust me."

Hyper's face shot up in pure shock. She would recognize that voice anywhere. "What the - Will?"

Gicko nearly gasped. "Oh, you are not telling me that bony zombie is Will Turzing."

Even Cara looked perplexed. "The one who just screamed like a little girl five minutes ago?"

Another zombie remarked, "He does that at the sight of all of us."

All the zombies laughed, Blondes coming to stand beside Cara.

Hyper was fairly annoyed, pinning her own gaze to Will. "So that's why you came all this way. Not to see lil' ol' me, but to eat lil' ol' me?"

Will grinned devilishly. "In more ways than one."

Three of the zombies started to move toward them. Big Bron watched.

"You guys, stay back. I got this," Cara assured her friends.

Cara moved forward quickly, the three zombies instantly surrounding her. Wanting to stress the upper hand, Will came up behind her. Cara, without even looking his way, kicked him in the groin, then elbowed him to the face.

Will fell to his knees, groaning and cupping between his legs.

Hyper looked to Gicko. "Martial arts skills still intact as well, I see."

One of the other zombies ran at Cara, and Cara jump-kicked him to the floor; he stayed there, unconscious.

Blondes stood with a hand under his chin, as though analyzing the situation. A normal person would be unable to render a zombie unconscious with a single blow. There was no doubt that this was indeed the Mord-Sith Cara Mason. Now…flamer of zombies.

The third zombie was smarter, however, and moved to trip Cara. He moved over her, smiling with evil intent.

Cara sat up, her lighter falling out of her back pocket, as she moved backward on all fours. Licking her lips, she reached behind her and grabbed it. The zombie steadily moved closer.

Hyper noticed, and, looking over her own shoulder, saw flammable bottles of liquid lining a shelf. Quickly, she grabbed one of the bottles, holding it up in Cara's direction. "Cara!" she yelled.

Cara looked behind her, seeing the bottle and nodded her understanding. They had talked about moments like this various times during their childhood - the type of action scene that ended with a lighter and the enemy burning to a crisp.

Hyper threw the glass bottle of liquid as hard as she could at the zombie looming over Cara, and the content broke against his face. The zombie immediately winced in pain and rubbed at his ugly mug, as the liquid seemed to burn him worse than any fire could. Cara lifted the lighter, flared it up against the creature's face, and immediately removed her hand; the monster's head instantly burst into flames.

The zombie screamed to the sky, and started to fade as he did, becoming this disintegrated form that swirled into a small tornado, and then sucked into the floor.

Gicko and Hyper both uttered, "Whoa."

Blondes just leaned against a table.

Cara stood up, disbelieving. "I don't know how. But it seems fire is your weakness." Feeling daring and quite smug, she walked to Big Bron. "So I guess that means you're just a puny -"

Big Bron slapped Cara into a wall; that alone was a powerful blow. "Take the others. Get what you need. This one - will die by my hand."

Will and the other zombie were still recovering. But they managed to get up and grab the other humans. Gicko, Hyper and Blondes tried to fight against their pull, but it was useless. The monsters were simply too strong, and exited with them out the door.

Cara looked up at her friends being taken. "No."

Big Bron moved toward her. "Silence."

Cara slowly stood, and, breathing heavily, landed two spin punches to Big Bron's face, taking him off guard.

Big Bron smiled wide. "Goody." He punched Cara hard, sending her all the way back across the room, where she crashed into the opposite wall, leaving a dent where she slid to the floor. "A challenge," he added.

IIII

Outside, on the steps of the morgue, Hyper, Gicko and Blondes grabbed at each other, clearly frightened as Will and the other zombie sharpened knives on steps in front of them.

IIII

Inside, Cara stood up. Big Bron roared. "You are weaker than I expected." He punched Cara to the floor again. But this time, she was able to come quicker to her feet and landed a blow as she backflipped away from him.

Cara spotted her lighter on the floor, a little off to her side. She moved to reach for it, but, like lightning, Big Bron grabbed her by the arm and twisted upward. Cara yelped in pain. "And you have more strength than I would've guessed also." He kicked Cara in the stomach, her body going up a little with a deep cough before falling flat to the floor. "But we are power."

Cara slowly tried to raise herself up on all fours. Big Bron continued to speak, "The first time men tried to stop the monsters…"

IIII

Outside, Gicko, Hyper and Blondes backed against the wall, Blondes's watch now displaying a small holographic screen in front of them. Ancient men with flaming sticks in their hands battling ancient zombies could be seen on the screen. And Big Bron's voice was heard narrating it all: "Though this time, they needn't try. For Raising Ground will provide..."

IIII

At the zombie graveyard, King Zombie stood in front of his own holographic screen; it displayed Will and the other zombie, as well as the three humans. Then, there was Big Bron pulling Cara's head back by her hair to look up at her. He heard Big Bron's voice: "...King Zombie with enough force to destroy all their lives before they can even chance that effort."

IIII

The morgue seemed so small to Cara now, this huge zombie grabbing her by her neck and raising her high into the air. "Then we - the supreme race will demolish this center of which their may be power to stop us."

Somehow, Cara was able to flip free from his hold, landing just a few feet in front of him. "If you're going to kill me, just get it over with. Save me the lecture."

"Kindly," Big Bron moved toward her.

They fought, and Cara was surprisingly able to hold her own, countering each and every one of the creature's punches and kicks with her own blows. She felt some sort of primal power creeping within her, just below the surface, and Big Bron was no longer able to throw her around like  
a ragdoll.

Big Bron grabbed Cara by the arms, holding her in position. He then slammed her into the freezer drawers to their right, a drawer with a dead guy popping open a second later. Cara did not have time to register such a sight, because Big Bron was now punching her head from left to right, right to left.

Cara jump-kneed the monster in the chin, and Big Bron flailed backward for a bit, providing Cara with just enough time to flee. She limped all the way to the door.

Big Bron looked up. "Running away?"

Cara stopped. No, she couldn't run. Feeling the power surging within her, she lifted the entire table to her left. "Throwing it your way." She swirled the table in the monster's direction.

Big Bron smashed the table, mid-air, however, with one blow and grinned. "You're growing stronger."

Cara ran at Big Bron, and Big Bron punched her in the gut. Then the face, which caused Cara to slide across the opposite end, to a cabinet.

Cara looked behind her at the cabinet and stood. Opening it quickly, she smiled. "Well, what do you know. Look at all the different kinds of acids for me to play with." She grabbed a handful of the bottled acids and threw them Big Bron's way.

One by one, Big Bron was hit, growling with every burn to his face and skin. "You'd think this was a science lab," Cara chuckled.

Big Bron had enough! With one flip, he landed in front of Cara and unleashed his fury. He punched her repeatedly, aiming for every part of the woman's body he could make contact with. Cara became sluggish, barely able to stand any longer, and Big Bron laughed heartily.

Cara coughed up blood, then swung left, missing Big Bron. Big Bron pushed at Cara gently, laughing even harder. She then swung right...to no avail.

Big Bron raised Cara high, above his head, then walked over to the center of the room, throwing the woman up into the ceiling; Cara crashed into the long light above with an agonized scream, and fell to the floor. In another moment, she managed to sit up on her knees. "What are you gonna toss my way now?" teased Big Bron.

He raised his hands in front of Cara's face. "Oh, the part of my story you didn't let me finish? "To you all - we will say goodbye."

And with that, long razor-like fingernails emerged from Big Bron's hands, and he used them to stab Cara in the gut. When she writhed in pain, he removed them to then slash at her throat; Cara's hand instinctively went there, trying to stop the blood gushing out, but, gagging, she soon lost the fight and collapsed to the ground...dead.

"Goodbye," grinned Big Bron. He then exited out the door.

The symbol on Cara's hand faded, right before disappearing.

Cara's eyes were open but empty; her life flashed before them - being born in the hospital, playing with Gicko and Hyper as small children, moving away, mourning her father's death, learning to live with her mother, flirting with boys, cursing herself for desiring girls, becoming an honor student, and then Kahlan... Kahlan Amnell?

IIII

Cara awoke to find herself in her room, in her bed. The light was on, and she stared at the ceiling. How had she wound up here? The last thing she remembered... She was searching for Bobby at The Ditch. She had been desperate to find him. To forget someone... That's right. Kahlan Amnell, the amazingly beautiful brunette who had stirred something in her. Something she wasn't supposed to feel. She had wanted to forget Kahlan. Kahlan's penetrating gaze, Kahlan's touch on her skin.

Cara turned on her side, to her left, and faced the small mirror on her desk. Huh? Her face was completely clean. No more blood on her brow or in her hair. Had being at The Ditch just been a dream? Had she come straight home and cleaned up? She looked down at her clothing. She still had on the tight yellow shirt she borrowed from Blondes. Maybe she borrowed the shirt but didn't go to The Ditch after all? No, that couldn't be. Being at The Ditch felt so real. As real as Kahlan's hands on her body.

Arrgh! She was thinking of Kahlan again. Why? The woman didn't mean anything to her. Right? Her dirty little secret had almost been uncovered by Kahlan, and she hated the other woman for it.

Cara turned fully on her back, and closed her eyes. She was aroused again, thoroughly so. She could feel the slickness between her legs, and it sickened her. Damn it! She'd been fighting so hard all day long not to have these kinds of thoughts. And then Kahlan Amnell had shown up, all  
beautiful and silent. Silent but deadly, Cara chuckled.

Unable to fight this desire any longer, she moved a hand to the front of her pants and slipped it beneath the fabric. "Kahlan," she whispered.

"I'm here," came the alluring reply.

Cara looked to her right to see Kahlan sitting in her window frame, her left leg bent against it, the other pointed to the floor, revealing knee-high boots and partial thigh as the cloak she was still wearing bunched between her legs. "Kahlan!" Cara screamed, scattering backwards out of her bed and back against a wall. "You speak."

Kahlan moved out of the window and stood in the room, eyes on Cara. "Not the mute you thought I was, no?"

"What are you doing here? How'd you even -"

"- I," she merely started to take off her gloves, "am here to finish what we started earlier."

Cara gulped. "Excuse me?"

Kahlan threw the gloves to the floor. "In the grass, near the tree. You and I were about to make boom-boom, but were interrupted."

"Boom-boom?" Cara frowned. "No, there was going to be no boom-boom. And who talks like that anyway?"

Kahlan smiled. "Just trying to keep up with all the new slang, teen-speak." She then started to take off her cloak, revealing an incredibly short, black skirt and tight white top. "Quit the pretenses, Cara. You want me... Or else you wouldn't have been attempting to pleasure yourself with my name on your lips."

Cara's eyes went wide. "What?"

Kahlan arched a delicate eyebrow. "Were you or were you not just uttering my name with your hand down your pants?"

Cara immediately felt blush rush to her cheeks, and remembered where her hand was. Arghh! More embarrassed than she ever thought possible, she removed the hand slowly, then met Kahlan's unapologetic gaze. "I...," Cara started, "said Kanan. Kanan, from my physics class. He's hot. So sue me."

Kahlan cocked her head to the side, clearly amused.

Cara quickly stood. "And anyway... It's none your business who I think of when I... And you aren't supposed to be here." She frowned, still blushing furiously. "Get the hell out or I'm calling the po-po on your ass, you freakin' stalker."

As if not even hearing her, Kahlan bent down, starting to take off her boots.

Cara angered further and strode to her, yanking her back up. Their eyes locked. "Will you stop that? I don't want to have sex with you! I'm not gay, alright. Not bi... Just plain old straight."

Kahlan stared into those green eyes, as if trying to discern the truth. "Straight?"

"Yes, straight," Cara stressed.

"Heterosexual?"

"Yes, hetero."

Kahlan narrowed her eyes, then stepped back. "You're harder to read than most."

Cara furrowed her eyebrows together. "What do you mean by that?"

Kahlan gave her the once-over. "Just that...back at the tree, I could tell you wanted me. I was somehow able to read your silent wish for me to continue undressing you... But now."

Cara shrugged, turning her back to the woman. "There was no silent wish, believe me."

Kahlan put a hand to her head, as if thinking. "But the Youngster told me..."

Cara snapped around. "Youngster? You mean a race of people and not just an expression for youth, right?"

"Yes," confirmed Kahlan. "He told me you were to be my mate."

"He what?" Cara gritted her teeth together. "Was this Youngster blond and in a suit?"

"No." Kahlan looked at the floor. "He explained everything to me... How in my past life, I was Kahlan Amnell, Mother Confessor, and how I fell in love with Richard Cypher and befriended the wizard, Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander...and the Mord-Sith Cara Mason. That, for some reason, only you and I were reincarnated in this life...and that you would be my mate, my lover." She looked up to face Cara. "He said consummating our bond in bed would greatly benefit your powers."

Cara folded her arms across her chest. "So you got the reincarnation speech too, huh? Your Youngster sounds like a pervert to me."

Kahlan moved to Cara, touching a gentle hand to her arm. "He wasn't lying." She watched her hand play with the blond's muscles felt through the fabric. "I have been around much longer than you, Cara. Sure, I was only just told of everything. But I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for you." She used her other hand to grasp Cara's waist and pulled them closer. Cara's breathing stilled as she stared into those blue "pools" of want and open desire. "When we touch, it's electric... Tell me you feel it too."

Cara pushed her off.

Kahlan just moved toward the bed, past Cara. "We must hurry." She started undressing.

Cara turned to her and threw her hands in the air, waving them exasperatedly. "No, no, no. Stop that!"

She moved to try and stop Kahlan, but Kahlan pulled out a dagger from her knee-high boot and pointed it in Cara's direction. "I am going to undress, and you are going to like it. And then we are going to make boom-boom, and you are going to like that too."

Cara frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't have to watch this." She marched off toward the window to look out it. "And if you have to say anything relating to sex, just say sex!"

By the window, Cara heard Kahlan undressing and it made her nervous as all hell. She folded her arms across her chest. Who was this woman? Why did she insist on making boom-boom - having sex with - her? And how was she going to get rid of her? This had to be the weirdest day ever, Cara sighed.

Suddenly, the sound of Kahlan undressing stopped. "You may turn around," said the brunette.

"Not interested," Cara retorted.

"Cara, the Youngster also told me how you're sexually repressed. You needn't fight your desires this night. It's a woman's body you crave, is it not? And it's a woman's body you may have tonight."

Cara slowly turned to face Kahlan. She knew she had stopped breathing, but she couldn't seem to find her breath. Kahlan was lying on her bed, dressed in the sexiest black lingerie she had ever seen, one knee bent upward. "Come here," she told Cara.

Cara, arms still folded, finally managed to breath and moved toward the bed. She gazed down at the raven-haired stunner, tracing her eyes over every part of that glorious body. "To your liking, I see," noted Kahlan.

Kahlan reached up and pulled Cara down on top of her, Cara's arms immediately going to either side of Kahlan. The two stayed still there, looking into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Kahlan gently ran a hand through Cara's hair. "Oh, Cara...you've been brainwashed for far too long - believing this type of intimacy is wrong."

Cara's face was stern, unmoving, as if making any sort of expression would mean she approved of this. This intimacy. Kahlan realized these feelings, and shifted so that she could roll on top of Cara, which elicited a moan from the other woman's lips; Kahlan's body crushed into hers, and she watched the blond's face, seeing the nervousness there. The vulnerability. And yet the unmistakable gaze of lust. "It'll be okay, Cara."

Cara's head was spinning, and too many thoughts were raging, blending together all at once. She knew she should push Kahlan away, but... Ah, it felt so good - breasts against breasts, silky smooth skin at her fingertips. Kahlan felt so good... Smelled so good... No, but it's wrong. She had to push...push Kahlan away. But Kahlan's voice was so soothing. Cara finally relented, giving into this protective cocoon of desire which would shield her from all the bad thoughts. The thoughts trying to deny her this peace.

Kahlan moved to suck at Cara's throat. Cara groaned, hesitantly wrapping her arms around Kahlan's waist to hold her closer. Kahlan used her free hand to play with Cara's left thigh, squeezing the muscles there. "That's it," she whispered against her ear. She placed kisses to Cara's collarbone, Cara moaning louder than expected. "You are so unbelievably sexy, Cara... When I saw you in class... Mmm... I knew I had to have you." Cara moaned even louder, closing her eyes at these long-awaited sensations. Kahlan licked at the other woman's chin. "I know you're a virgin..." She placed a soft kiss to Cara's cheek. "But I'm certainly not. I'll take care of you, Cara." She sucked at Cara's earlobe, and Cara moaned again.

Knock! Knock! There was soon constant pounding at Cara's bedroom door. Kahlan looked behind her, to the source that dare disturb them this time. "Cara... Cara! You had better not be watching that late night porn again."

Cara was still in a lust-induced cloud, as she tried to sit up against Kahlan. The knocking became louder. "Cara?"

"Yeah, ma?" Cara finally replied, touching a hand to her head as if trying to shake this feeling which had been brought on by Kahlan.

Kahlan moved swiftly off Cara, to the floor, taking a sheet with her, as if to cover up.

"I heard moaning. You're not watching that porn again, are you? You know I don't like that stuff played in my house."

"No, ma. It was just...just a love scene. It's gone off now."

"Good." Footsteps retreated.

"We must not consummate in the presence of parents." Kahlan quickly stood, grabbing her boots and other clothing. "It is the way of things." She moved to exit out the window.

"Wait!" Cara yelled. She moved quickly off the bed to approach Kahlan by the window. Kahlan was fairly patient for the blond's response. "If you ever do that again," Cara growled, "I'll have you up on rape charges so fast you won't know what hit you."

Cara knew, of course, that it was a far cry from rape. But she had to save face. Had to put this dyke in her place. She was not allowed to just march into her room and touch her like that.

Kahlan smirked. "Keeping up pretenses, I see." And with that, she waved a hand over Cara's face.

IIII

Cara was suddenly back in the morgue, lying in the spot she could have sworn she died in. Wait, she did die. She remembered everything now. She had been here fighting a big zombie and he'd killed her. So how was it that she was alive? And what to make of her most recent time with Kahlan?

Cara sat up, smiling wide. It had been a dream - her time with Kahlan. Thank God! Cara breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't a dyke like Kahlan after all. She knew she should be happier about being alive, but she couldn't help it. It felt good to know she was still normal. There was still the matter of the fact that she'd had such a dream about another woman in the first place, but she'd worry about that later. After all, such dreams were not foreign to her.

Cara immediately touched her stomach, then her neck. She was indeed all healed. In the next instant, she got up and ran out the exit.

IIII

On the steps of the morgue, Gicko, Hyper and Blondes sat. Cara came out the entrance, running to stop in front of them.

Hyper looked up, relieved. She'd clearly been crying her eyes out. "Cara! They told us you were dead. When you didn't show up for several minutes after they left, we thought... And we couldn't bare seeing you - "

Gicko, who'd also obviously been shedding tears, cut in, " - They didn't want us, man. They wanted the jewels."

"I died," Cara said finally. "Back in there, I died. That much is true." They all looked up at her. "I don't know how I'm still alive, but -"

"- The mark of life that once scarred your hand," Blondes interrupted. He held up his watch. "Did my holographic research." He sighed, then briefly rubbed his chin. "It was originally instilled into Mord-Sith only, and was called the Breath of Life. At some point, many, many years ago, the power was somehow extracted from the Mord-Sith and marketed as the single 'Mark of Life.' Turns out that during the time when the earth was most covered with zombies, that was the most efficient way to fight against them. Staying alive, ensuring high numbers. People were always wary of their deaths. Anyone honored by the mark of life - if killed - would be brought back to the land of the living... All marks and blood gone from their body… But it can only be used that once. Unless you are lucky enough to obtain such a mark again."

Hyper suddenly cheered up. "Ooh, I want one."

Blondes ignored her, suddenly standing. "Yes, we have a lot to do. A damn lot to do."

Cara, Gicko and Hyper just watched him. "And we must do it now, goddamn it." All three issued a collective gasp at what they were witnessing. Blondes's shadow was growing larger and larger and before they knew it...

"That's right," Blondes finished. "Before anything else happens."

"Um, Blondes?" questioned Cara. She pointed to his current state.

Blondes was now a dark-haired man, 30-ish, tall and lean. He looked down at himself. "Oh - crap," were his only words.

**ACT 4**

The gang didn't know what to make of this new Blondes. He raked his hands through his now black hair. "I was afraid this would happen. Mother warned me... You see, Youngsters are a very temperamental race. I guess like a lot of kids, but we aren't supposed to be. It takes the focus away from our job to a Flamer. Us Youngsters must keep this anger under control or we can lose the appearance - that which makes us as energetic and youthful as we seem. My downfall was the cursing - a bad habit I tried to keep hidden from you all."

Cara arched an eyebrow. " So -"

"I may look thirty-five, but I'm still the six-year-old prodigy you met earlier today...or yesterday, depending on whether or not it's midnight. Only now...I ache as an old man would. My punishment."

Gicko laughed. "Thirty-five isn't old."

"It is to me," Blondes retorted.

Hyper seemed concerned. "But when are you gonna turn back?"

"I just told you," Blondes frowned, "There's no turning back. I'm still Blondes. What you are seeing is not my true form, but rather a cover to it. Sort of like a mirror as to what I am on the inside."

"But isn't the inside the true you?" asked Hyper.

"The point is...," Blondes was annoyed, "...I don't know when - or if - I will look as I did before."

Gicko seemed suspicious. "But how do we know you're really Blondes and not some shape-shifting demon posing as Blondes?"

Blondes sighed, taking out a comb to slick his hair back. At this, all three nodded and agreed in unison, "It's Blondes."

Hyper took out a small compact mirror and handed it to Blondes, Blondes taking it and immediately using it to assess his new appearance. "But what are we gonna call him now?" asked Hyper. "Look, he's not even blond anymore."

Blondes looked up at her. "I am not bleaching my hair."

Cara had been silent. This had been an extremely weird night for her, and it seemed it was only going to get weirder from here on. "No matter if we like it or not," she said. "This is the new and improved Blondes... New anyway."

"Got that right," Blondes barked. "Now we just have to see what my family thinks about it."

IIII

At D'Hara High, in the playground area, Cara, Gicko, Hyper and Blondes sat in front of the holographic screen watching the nightly news. "...His family - said the six-year-old – of the ones who used their hideously-disfigured faces to scare the local teens partying at the youth spot, The Ditch, last night," the newswoman reported. "The boy said his brothers must be stopped, and that he will work further with the authorities to help catch them in any other sadistic acts."

Blondes pulled at the jungle gym bar, the holographic screen going blank. The other three looked to him as though he were the lamest person ever. "Well, I had to tell them something," he reasoned. "Hyper's ugly family explanation seemed the best route to take. Couldn't have people running around fearing that there are really monsters out there willing to eat their brains."

Gicko raked his hands through his brown hair, looking over at Blondes. "Wait a minute. I thought you said zombies only ate the brains of the living - if ordered to by their zombie masters."

Blondes briefly held up a finger. "Though not originally. When a zombie feasts on the brains of humans, they can actually take on the personality of that victim. To a point - they become smarter. But this only lasts for twelve hours. Definitely a short time. After that, they return to their usual dumbfounded selves."

The other three made confused faces. Blondes clarified. "A zombie, you see, is as human as us during the day, but at night - they're as grotesque as anything you've ever seen. This being, in main part, because of the zombie master. People who have died at night are raised from the ground by this creature. And because of the night - because that's when they died - at this time, they are monsters. They day releases them from this fate...since their demise occurred otherwise."

"Now you said they only stay smart for twelve hours," pressed Gicko. "This would mean twelve hours of the day, right? Since they can only display their human form at this time?"

"Most of the time," stated Blondes. "But there are some who can get a hold of a brain fast enough to recharge at later night. Still, during the day, they're as normal as you or me – sometimes even remorseful."

Hyper smiled. "Good thing they're evil, slow and dumb by night then, huh? Can kill 'em without feeling bad about it."

Cara stood. "What about zombies that are raised during the day?"

Blondes took his comb out and slicked back his now black hair. "Well, now that's the thing. Zombie masters have and always will only raise ones who died at night from the ground - this being because they feel dusk is an easier time of attack. Although...there was one case of a zombie who had developed during the day, but it's thought to be a myth."

Gicko stood. "And zombie masters?"

"Are scattered throughout the earth, but mating isn't easy for them," explained Blondes. "The female can only bear one child. Therefore, their population is as scarce as ours. They are said to be some breed of a missing link, like Flamers are to humans, traced as far back as prehistoric time. One for every city. They've been around for ages."

IIII

King Zombie kicked at the pile of human bones as Big Bron approached. "King Zombie, we have fetched them for you." He pulled out the two red, diamond-shaped jewels and handed them to his master.

King Zombie held the jewels before his eyes. "Ah - the jewels of Tantantinta," he said. "At last for Raising Ground."

"And there is something else, King," urged Big Bron. "That Flamer - as you said - she is here."

IIII

Cara, Gicko and Blondes all asked Blondes at the same time, "Who is here?"

Blondes put his comb back into his pocket and straightened out his suit. "King Zombie. That is the creature you were just talking about, isn't it Cara?"

"Hell, yeah," Cara pursed her lips together. "And that zombie who killed me said they need some power for Raising Ground. Whatever they're up to, I need to find them." Cara looked to the ground for a second. She didn't know where this certain need to take on such great responsibility was coming from, but she suddenly felt like Spider-Man, and was loving it.

"Normally, I would say check the local morgues or cemeteries, but there's only one place in this town that a zombie master such as King Zombie could already have a great number of force," said Blondes.

Cara looked up. "Where?"

IIII

King Zombie moved in front of Big Bron just as Will entered. "This Flamer," spoke the king, "did you fight her?"

"We both did," replied Will. "And I was like kung-fuing her up and down the place. I was bad, man, I was -

Big Bron knocked Will in the back of the head. "He got his ass beat," Big Bron clarified.

"True," Will admitted.

King Zombie looked displeased, and Big Bron moved closer. "She was unworthy," he said. "Nothing to worry about."

King Zombie growled, grabbing Big Bron by the neck and lifting him high. "But I do worry."

"She's dead," breathed Big Bron against the pressure.

IIII

Cara nodded to her friends. "The zombie graveyard? Then that's where I'm headed."

Blondes placed a hand to Cara's shoulder. "Tomorrow... Until I can come up with a decent strategy. You are at a great advantage, with them thinking you're dead. Let us use that."

Cara narrowed her eyes but agreed.

IIII

The next day, at D'Hara High School, Cara moved down the hall. She was on her way to Mr. Tanner's class, and was dreading it. Not only was she late, due to lectures from her mom and Bobby about reckless driving, as well as words from a few police, she would have to see Kahlan. She definitely needed to get revenge on the brunette for tying her up like a rotisserie, but the thought of facing the other woman after having had such heated thoughts about her - a dream even - was both frightening and exciting. _I'm hardly ever scared of things_, Cara told herself. _So why does this Kahlan scare me so? _"_Because you want her,_" her mind involuntarily supplied. "No, I don't!" Cara fought against the unwanted thought, accidentally speaking aloud. She barely noticed the people watching her in the hall as she approached Mr. Tanner's room.

Cara stopped in front of the door. "You can do this," she told herself. But as she started to open the door, she heard laughing...many people laughing in fact. She yanked open the door, to see Kahlan standing by the dry-erase board, giggling over her shoulder at Mr. Tanner, who sat at his desk.

"Oh, Kahlan, you are such a delight," he beamed her way.

Kahlan worked out some kind of math problem on the board. "The pleasure's all mine," she smiled back. Then drew a happy face beside the finished math question. Suddenly, there was applause, as if Kahlan had just delivered a performance worthy of a standing ovation. What in the hell?

Cara entered the room, and slammed the door behind her. But most eyes stayed fixated on Kahlan, though the clapping soon stopped. Cara looked to the back of the glass to see Becky, who shrugged, as if to say, "I don't get it either."

This was a nightmare. Half - or most - of the students in her quantum physics class smitten with Kahlan? Everyone was supposed to look her way when she entered the room. Not just a handful! Just when she thought she would explode with anger, the bell rung. Class was over. She was later than she had thought.

Just about everyone in the class came up to Kahlan, patting her on the back, shoulder or even the head as they remarked how brilliant and cool and hot she was. Cara just stood there watching, a few feet away from Kahlan, utterly flabbergasted. The woman was again dressed in a tight, short skirt and high heels. Both gray this time, while the tight, V-neck top was black. So the woman had to steal her V-neck style too? Cara looked down at her own clothing, the tight jeans and tank top with small, black boots, and knew she would have to 'up' her wardrobe if she was going to compete with Kahlan. She saw that now.

The class was nearly empty, as Cara stood there watching Kahlan move to her desk and pack up. Becky was the last to leave, patting Cara on the back as though offering condolences. And then...even Mr. Tanner stepped out for a moment, leaving Cara and Kahlan alone. Show time, thought Cara.

Cara marched to Kahlan. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

Kahlan continued stuffing things into her huge purse. "I believe it was you who said follow or try to lead." She then looked up at Cara, mischief sparkling behind those deep blue eyes. "I wouldn't say I needed to try."

Cara frowned and set her jaw tight. "Screw you!"

Kahlan moved close, right against the blond's ear. "Ooh, I'd love to... But we gotta keep up pretenses, remember?" Cara's eyes went wide, her whole body frozen in place. Kahlan just smirked, then grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

Cara, mouth agape, looked in the brunette's direction. Kahlan was peering at her from the doorway. Then winked, right before leaving. Cara shook her head. _No, no, no. It can't be true_, she told herself. But, in her heart, she knew that it was. It hadn't been a dream - last night in her room with Kahlan. "Keeping up pretenses, I see," the other woman had said. And just now, she had echoed the very same thing. Cara stared at the door. That woman had been in her bed. She'd let that woman touch her...kiss her. Cara threw her books down frustratedly. How had she pulled it off? And more importantly...who was this bitch?


	3. PART 3

Cara tapped on the desk with her pencil in her literature class. The teacher was saying something about the Epic of Gilgamesh and how it's supposedly one of the earliest known works of literature. But Cara didn't care. All she cared about was Kahlan Amnell. Who was this woman who seemed to invade her life so easily and occupy her every thought? Luckily, the bell would be ringing soon and it would be lunch time. She had agreed to meet Blondes and the gang at the playground, but was certain she would forget that now. She needed to find Kahlan, and talk to her. Find out some things. For example, how did the woman know of her virginity? No one knew that. In fact, everyone thought she was a ho... A very smart and attractive ho, but still a ho. And yet Kahlan knew otherwise.

The bell rung, and Cara dashed from her chair, grabbing her books and moving out the door.

In the hall, she spotted Kahlan in the distance at her locker. The brunette was stuffing something in it; she soon walked off.

Cara ran as fast as she could through the crowded hallway. _Must see Kahlan. Must talk to Kahlan_.

Outside the school, at the front entrance, Cara finally caught up with the woman. The raven-haired beauty was seemingly about to leave campus. "Kahlan! Hey, Kahlan," Cara called.

Several feet away, Kahlan stopped, though not looking back at the blond. Cara approached quickly, panting heavily. "Where are you going?"

"Is this Round 3 or 4?" Kahlan turned to her, big purse over her shoulder.

Cara tried to get her breathing under control; it wasn't just the lack of air that was causing it. The woman seemed even more beautiful in the sunlight, hair showing tints of red and complementing the small splatter of freckles on her face. "I..." ...What could she say? "Please tell me more about yourself?" She was supposed to hate this bitch. But...

Kahlan started to turn, and Cara reached for her, swiftly turning her back around with a hand to her shoulder. "I need to...need to know more about you."

Kahlan, briefly looking down at the hand on her shoulder, finally looked up at the blond. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with me."

Cara, her breathing now under control, gritted her teeth. Damn it. She didn't want to beg. "Please," she said staring the other woman in the eyes and trying to show as much sincerity as possible. "I thank you for saving me... The mark of life... My Youngster explained."

Kahlan sighed, then waved a hand over Cara's face.

IIII

What in the hell? Cara looked around, like a lost little puppy. She was suddenly... In someone else's home? How had she gotten here? She looked in front of her to see Kahlan throwing her purse to the floor and then moving past the couch toward what looked like a bar in front of the open-view kitchen. Cara looked to the left and saw a pool table. She looked to the right and saw a record player and a shelf of various albums. She turned behind her and saw stairs leading upward, a table full of roses to its side. Cara exhaled deeply. The place was certainly spacious, the walls decorated with classic-like paintings and the ceiling fixed with a sparkling chandelier. It put her goddamn home to shame, and she'd come from money.

Cara looked across at Kahlan behind the bar, who was now drinking something from a glass glaring at her. "How'd we get here?" asked Cara.

Kahlan, still sipping from her glass, eyes still pinned to Cara, raised a hand and shook it as if to answer.

Cara appeared as though a light bulb had just gone on in her head. "That's right. You did something like that last night when..."

Kahlan, without removing her gaze from the blond, put her glass down on the bar in front of her. "Go on...finish what you were going to say."

Cara frowned. "Never mind."

Kahlan rolled her eyes, moving to the couch in front of Cara to plop down on it. "Man, you really are homophobic, aren't you?"

Cara stayed on the subject. "How is it you can do what you do?"

"Well, some say you're suppose to reach all the way in, then curl a bit, but I've found that every woman's a bit different."

Cara watched the other woman cross her legs, her skirt riding up to show more thigh. "What?" she asked the brunette.

"How it is I can do what I do... Find the G-Spot. I seriously get asked that too much these days. As if it really takes talent to -"

"Enough!" Cara was blushing ten shades of red. "That's not what I was asking!" She puffed her red cheeks, and threw her books to the floor.

Kahlan just giggled. "You're too cute."

Cara turned her back to the woman. Somehow, it felt safer to ask questions without that penetrating gaze influencing her. "I meant how were you able to whisk me away twice? How'd you make me forget things? And where are we?"

Kahlan eyed Cara's very firm ass. She wondered what it would take to get this woman in bed. She had tried the innocent, silent approach, and then the "You're my bitch" approach. She would definitely have to try something different. Perhaps talking to her, telling her everything (well, almost everything) would suffice? Kahlan looked at the blond's tank top-clad back. "This is my home. I'd rather you not know exactly where it's located - just yet... But I'm not a monster of any sort, if that's what you're worried about. I'm an immortal."

Cara spun around, eyes flashing with curiosity. "An immortal?"

Kahlan folded her arms to match her crossed legs, then met the other woman's gaze. "Yes... some of us have the power of transportation; some don't. And the transportation ability comes with sort of a selection - the option to make people forget certain details so that the power isn't discovered." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm also an anchor."

Cara's face was one of confusion. Kahlan felt the need to continue on, "Anchors are beings designed to balance a Flamer's power. A Flamer can at some points lose control of the surge of energy engulfing them. Once accustomed with their anchor, holding the power in place, this almost never happens."

Cara pursed her full lips. "By 'accustomed'...you mean..."

"Boom-boom?" Kahlan smiled. "Yes." She then looked to the ceiling. "But anchors can help without such means. It's rather that such means - sexual intimacy - helps the bond in a way that simple friendship never could."

"So does this mean that all anchors are like predestined mates to Flamers?" asked Cara, unable to take her eyes away from Kahlan's fully exposed throat.

"In a sense, yes," answered Kahlan. "But, as you know, arranged partnerships and marriages do not always work out. Some people desire love - romantic love - and when Flamers don't find it with their anchors, the Flamer-anchor relationship stays on friendship terms only."

"So you are my anchor?"

Kahlan finally looked away from the ceiling, back to Cara. "And you are my Flamer," her eyes sparkled with desire.

Cara felt her chest tighten. "Is that why I feel..."

"Feel what?" the brunette arched an eyebrow.

Cara remained silent.

Kahlan laughed. "Oh God. We are going to have to do something about these repressed sexual feelings of yours, and fast."

Cara raked a hand through her long, blond hair, looking to the floor. "I can't even lie to you, can I?"

Kahlan smirked. "You can try... It certainly works sometimes in your case. But my ability to read people apparently comes from my Confessor past – that other life."

Cara looked backed up at her. "Yeah, tell me about that. These Confessors and Mord-Sith." She moved to sit down close beside the brunette...a little too close. "What kind of people were they?... Were we in our past lives? Did we look like we do back then?"

Kahlan was surprised. She stared at this blond who she could have sworn hated her just a few, scant hours ago, but was now looking to her with such warmth. Face full of eagerness, attentiveness... Cara was really quite different once you got her away from that school, where she felt she had to be "Conqueror of dykes everywhere," Kahlan decided... There was also something else. Yes, Kahlan could feel it. The blond had a crush on her. A major one. Kahlan just grinned. It was absolutely the most adorable thing she'd ever seen.

Kahlan uncrossed her legs, readjusting herself so that she was facing Cara on the couch. "Your Youngster didn't tell you any of this?"

"Well, we only just met."

"The one I met told me everything and then some, all in one sitting... Really, Cara, I'm in the same boat as you. I've known for quite some time now that I was immortal, but I only just found out that I was an anchor. But to go over everything that it was to be a Confessor or Mord-Sith is something we'll have to discuss another time."

"But what about Flamers? Are there more like me? More Flamers out there?"

"Others are out there somewhere, ready to be awakened in their own town. This isn't the only place where zombies reside, after all. Not all have to be awakened, though, especially with so few Youngsters."

Cara looked down, but found herself eyeing Kahlan's knee.

"You can touch it, you know."

"Huh?" Cara looked up.

Kahlan leaned in, her face an inch away from Cara's. "My knee... You can touch it." She moved to speak against Cara's right ear. "Or any other part of me. Any time you so desire." She then moved back to view the blond's stunned gaze. "The other benefit of having an anchor, Cara, is our ability to add something else to a Flamer's power once we consummate."

Cara's pulse sped up. She tried not to eye Kahlan's lips, but was failing miserably. "What?" was all she could ask.

"Sleep with me and find out," Kahlan leaned in and kissed her softly against the cheek.

Cara moved swiftly off the couch to stare down at the woman. "I told you -"

"_'I'm not gay, I'm not gay_,' blah, blah, blah," Kahlan mocked.

Cara frowned.

Kahlan sighed. "Fine. Let's play a game, shall we?" She started to take off her shirt, and Cara gasped, stepping back a bit. Kahlan just chuckled, throwing the shirt to the ground, and now exposing her red lace bra. "Relax, Cara. This will be simple."

Cara did her best to keep her gaze on that devious face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...," Kahlan discarded her high-heel shoes, kicking them off to the side, "we are going to make a deal." Kahlan sat up straight against the couch, then once again crossed her legs. "We are going to talk some more. And if you can resist eyeing my breasts during the whole conversation, I will stop trying to screw you. But if you look... Oh, Cara, if you look, I am definitely going to screw you... Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon." Kahlan then grinned the most menacing grin Cara had ever seen in her life. "A kiss before you leave here today would most certainly be in order, however."

Cara placed her hands on her hips and watched the brunette's face carefully. This bitch was crazy. But she never could turn down a challenge. Maybe Kahlan knew that much about her too? "Game on, stalker wench," she replied.

IIII

Blondes paced back and forth, hand under his chin, as he rubbed at the few hairs there. "Where is Cara?" he asked Gicko and Hyper, who were sitting on the jungle gym bars watching him pace. "Doesn't she know how important this is? There are still things we must go over - things we must address."

Gicko looked around the playground. "God, this place is empty. Aren't there any teenage mothers or fathers at this school?"

Hyper giggled. Blondes looked over to them both. "This playground's emptiness is the main reason I designed it the way I did - as our meeting point, 'less we start hanging out at your homes."

Hyper pushed the glasses back up on her face. "Uh, no thanks. My family tolerates ugly people, but weird, half-kid, half-adults running around is a whole 'nother matter."

Gicko gripped the bars tightly. "Same here."

Blondes frowned as though emotionally hurt. "But they wouldn't have to know what I am."

Gicko and Hyper echoed, "Forget it."

"And don't you have a home?" Hyper added.

Blondes pouted.

IIII

Kahlan wrapped her legs around Cara, straddling her to the couch. "You lost."

Cara tried to move, but the other woman had her shoulders pinned...and she was hella strong. "I only lost because you went on and on about roses and kittens." She stared up into Kahlan's eyes.

Kahlan smirked. "What's wrong with roses and kittens?" She moved her lips a little closer to Cara's. "I happen to find them quite lovely."

"The point is they're boring!" Cara uttered through clenched teeth, moving back a little, away from Kahlan's dangerously close lips. "I nearly fell asleep, and we were only two minutes into the conversation."

Kahlan ground her hips into Cara's. Cara froze. "Boring to you," she purred. "But I know what's not boring to you." She ground into Cara again, and Cara yelped. "Sex is what you want... Sex with me."

Cara's cheeks turned bright red, but she kept her gaze trained on Kahlan's lustful blue eyes. "You..."

Kahlan removed her hands from the blond's shoulders, feeling she had her right where she wanted her. She encircled the other woman's head with her arms, and then played with the back of her hair, her gaze never leaving Cara's. "We'll take it slow. Just a kiss today. Something else the next... Whatever it takes to warm you up to the idea that you more than need this."

"... I have…have a boyfriend."

"Like I care." Kahlan tentatively touched her lips to Cara's, and Cara visibly shook. "You like this, I know you do... So don't try and fight it." Holding Cara's gaze, she licked at those plump lips and moaned for effect, which made Cara shiver again. "It's just you and me here; no one will ever know."

To Kahlan's surprise, Cara made the first move, slamming her own lips against the brunette's. Kahlan gasped at the unexpected contact. _Not very patient, this one_, she thought. _Unpredictable too._ Foreplay with the blond would indeed be challenge, but for now... Kahlan parted her lips against Cara's full ones. She didn't need to coax the other woman's tongue into her mouth, because Cara was already sliding that eager, sexually repressed tongue against her own.

Cara pulled Kahlan closer to her and groaned. Her mind was raging again, just like last time, but the "don't do it" voice couldn't seem to compete for long this round. Her lips, her mouth, had never felt anything like this before, and she needed more of it. She was allowed this. Who would know? Straight women kissed other women all the time. Why shouldn't she? Because of her mother? Whatever. Mother didn't have to know. The kiss deepened, and this time Kahlan groaned.

Kahlan broke the kiss to stare into Cara's hooded eyes. "So sexy," she breathed against Cara's lips, then sucked on them. "I've never been so turned on in my life." She bit at Cara's bottom lip, and Cara groaned louder. "Have you?" Kahlan kissed her feverishly.

This time, Cara broke the kiss, breathing against Kahlan's mouth. "This stays between us." She gripped Kahlan's hips and ground Kahlan into her, which elicited a deep, guttural sound from the brunette. "No one needs to find out about this...this...experiment." She kissed Kahlan again.

Kahlan abruptly pushed Cara back, pinning her shoulders to the couch again. "What experiment?" she arched an eyebrow.

"This... Us... Straight girls experiment all the time, right?"

Kahlan rolled her eyes, and moved swiftly away from the blond, walking over to the pool table, her back to Cara.

Cara sat up. "What's wrong?"

"Your friends are calling for you."

"But, Kahlan..."

Without even looking at the Mord-Sith, Kahlan waved her hand in the other woman's direction.

IIII

Cara stood in the corridor by the playground, one arm full of books, her other hand raking through her hair. Kahlan had done it again - sent her way. But why? _Don't tell me she actually has feelings_, thought Cara. There was no bigger turn off to Cara than emotional people. Kahlan had looked hurt for a split second, but Cara had seen it. _Damn it_. Kahlan was the one to say no one would have to know what they did together behind closed doors. To Cara, that meant "sexual experimentation." You know, the stuff all girls would eventually do in college.

Cara bit on her bottom lip. She could still taste Kahlan. "What is wrong with me?" she muttered to herself. What she and Kahlan had just been doing was ugh. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Cara pushed at the door leading to the playground and exited the corridor.

"There you are!" Blondes turned to the woman. Cara just smacked her teeth, walking over to her newly found gang. Gicko and Hyper looked annoyed sitting on the jungle gym bars.

Cara stepped in front of Blondes. "So...what'd you want?"

Blondes wanted to pop the blond upside the head. "You have a duty, Cara. You shouldn't be off doing God knows what when this town is in grave danger."

"Whatever," came Cara's dry reply.

"Where were you?" asked Blondes.

Cara watched the man-boy, boy-man for a moment. She knew she should tell him and the others what she'd learned about Kahlan. But a part of her took pleasure in the fact that Kahlan was "her secret" and her secret alone. She didn't have to share Kahlan with anyone. Besides...Blondes was the Youngster; it was his job to know these things. "A girl's gotta eat, right?" asked Cara, slowly placing her books to the ground.

Blondes didn't have time for this. Arguing with the woman would only be a waste of time. "You three should get back inside. Lunch hour is almost over, and we'll go over everything later."

"When?" asked Cara.

"Tonight. 7:00. I admit that the best time of attack would be during the day, since the followers will be in their weaker, human form, but I'm not sure you'd be able to stomach harming -"

"Yes, I would," said Cara, rubbing at her arms and not even flinching.

"I have extra research to conduct... Be here at seven tonight."

Cara nodded. Business first, Kahlan second, she figured.

IIII

As told, the gang all met up at the playground at the specified time. They had talked about what needed to be done, and Cara stood before Blondes as Gicko and Hyper stood beside her. An outside light lit a good portion of the playground for them.

"Right. So I'm headed to the zombie graveyard," stated Cara very matter of factly.

"Then you are going to need these," said Blondes. He stepped back several feet and snapped his fingers. A table rose between them, different colored pairs of gloves, their "fingers" half cut off, with small metal-looking suction cups on their "knuckles" lined the table. "Those are flames," Blondes clarified.

Cara, Gicko and Hyper stared at the display. "Look like gloves to me," said Cara.

Blondes moved closer to the table, still opposite Cara. "Yes, they are. Flaming gloves - that, depending on the amount of pressure you put on them, shoot out fire through their brass knuckles. Very much like a flamethrower would."

Hyper became alert. "Flames? Ooh, that's right. Fire took out one of those zombies who came up against Cara. You know, when it hit his face."

Gicko rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah, why is that?"

"The brain," confirmed Blondes. "It can produce a number of chemicals. The only problem is that with a zombie, since they lack the normal brain waves and brain design a living person has, those chemicals, because they're always shifting throughout the undead's mind, somewhat leak to the outside of the skull to surround it as a thin layer would. When fire hits the head of a zombie, the chemicals within it boil, speeding up in a manner which the zombie cannot contain, exploding the skull and killing them instantly... Or at least that's what I've been told."

Gicko leaned an arm over Hyper's shoulder. "Okay, more info. And you said that Cara is a Flamer?"

Cara looked from Gicko and Hyper and then back to Blondes.

Blondes nodded. "Exactly. She is descendant from a missing link to humans, from a long line of Flamers created specifically to destroy zombies."

"A long line?" asked Gicko. "Does that mean that zombie flamers are always and have always been - well - female?"

"No," replied Blondes. "In the beginning, the line was male, but the gift eventually spread to females. It is always a mystery as to which sex a Flamer will be born. And Cara is not the only Flamer who exists now."

Cara rolled her eyes. She'd already learned some of this stuff from Kahlan. "Okay, enough of the history lessons." She moved to pick up a red pair of flames from the table and put them on. "I gotta go."

"Of course!" exclaimed Blondes, as if realizing something, and making Cara stop and turn back to him. "Why didn't I see it before?... Gicko, they took your jewels. The jewels of Tantantinta. That's the only reason King Zombie would want them. From the little I know, they can increase a zombie master's power immensely."

"Which is why I have to get those jewels back now," added Cara. She started to walk away again.

"I'm coming with you," stated Hyper, moving away from Gicko. She walked to the table of flames, and Cara stopped to look back at her.

Blondes frowned. "No. Flames were brutally designed for Flamers. Only. They will sense, as if they're alive, when she's ready for attack. And they are very hard to control...after saying 'locked.' You see, applying the pressure with the squeezing and loosening of the fists takes a Flamer's touch. Who knows how they'd react to a normal human?"

Cara pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek. Just great. The last thing she wanted to hear was that she wasn't normal.

Hyper moved away from the table of flames. "Fine." She looked to Cara. "But I'm going with you." She searched Cara's face, pleading. "Cara, this is Hyper. You know if you don't let me help, I'm coming with you anyway."

Gicko looked like he wanted to protest. Blondes just watched Cara's reaction.

Cara sighed. "All right. But I know this town like the back of my hand. I have to get there fast, and you'll only slow me down. Let me get there first, scout out the area, and you meet me there soon after. Get directions from Blondes."

And with that, Cara ran straight ahead, across campus.

There was silence for a long moment, and then -

"Wait a damn second," stated Hyper, the reality of what Cara had just done dawning on her. "Blondes, you don't have any directions to the zombie graveyard, do you? You just moved here too. And I take it that Cara, being a Flamer and all, can sense her way there?"

"You're right." Blondes looked as though he were bored. "She tricked you. But you could go out and get me a scientist coat."

Gicko and Hyper looked ridiculously at Blondes.

Blondes ignored their stares, and raised a finger as he spoke, "I swore to myself that if ever in a head position such as I am now, I would wear a lab coat. Like all the evil geniuses of the world."

"But you're not evil," stated Hyper.

Blondes started jumping up and down like a spoiled little brat, demanding, "I want a scientist coat! I want a scientist coat!"

Gicko nudged Hyper. "He may look thirty five, but he's right. Still the same six-year-old little twirp."

"Mm-hmm," agreed Hyper.

IIII

In the zombie graveyard, King Zombie pointed a finger at Big Bron and finally asked him what he had meant to ask him a night ago. "So this Gicko and the others... You didn't bring them to me, why?"

Bron placed a hand to his half human, half zombiefied brow. "King Zombie, we thought the jewels were your only focus. And we had already refreshed for the night. Hunger wasn't really on our minds."

King Zombie growled and moved swiftly to peer the follower in the face, razor-sharp teeth dripping with saliva. " Well, did you stop to think that maybe hunger was on my mind?" He turned his back to Bron. "Never the matter." He held up the two jewels the other zombies had retrieved for him, and bent down.

King Zombie pushed one red, diamond-shaped jewel into the matching cut-out on the side of his left boot, the jewel glowing for a second; he did the same for his right boot with the other jewel and it reacted in the same vein. In another moment, the boots turned to metal. "No one can stop me now," he proclaimed.

IIII

In a lone street, Cara made a turn.

IIII

Back at D'Hara High, Gicko and Hyper had snuck into the school and were walking down one of its corridors. They felt it would be exciting to break-in, but, with Blondes's rigging of certain parts of the campus, they hadn't really broken in...not in the "pick a lock or a break a window" kind of way. Nevertheless, Gicko felt this would be the perfect time to tell Hyper how he felt about her. They had always responded best to each other when their blood was rushing and they felt the world was at their feet. It had been like that since they were children, back when they would play hide and seek, and Hyper would admit random things to him along the way.

"You know, Hyper," he started, watching her with a flashlight in her hand scoping out every dark aspect of the hall, "now that we're out of the presence of Devil Child back in there...there's something I've been meaning to tell you." He paused. "When two people really care about each other, they -"

"- Cara," sighed Hyper.

"Gicko arched an eyebrow. "What about her?"

"What was she thinking?"

"Oh, you mean when she went to battle the big bad zombies all by herself?"

"Exactly," stated Hyper. She stopped, and Gicko stopped beside her. "What could she have been thinking - taking on those zombies by herself?" Hyper angrily pushed the glasses back up on her face. "Why, I have a piece of mind to find my way to her anyway. Doesn't she know how much I care about her?"

The way Hyper said that, with such longing, determination and passion, struck Gicko as odd, and he felt he needed clarification. "You mean...we. How much we care about her."

Hyper grinned nervously. "Yeah. That's what I meant."

IIII

At the base of the zombie graveyard, Cara arrived and stopped. It was suspiciously foggy, and she couldn't see much beyond that.

Out of nowhere, Kahlan approached, flipping behind her.

Cara spun around to view the brunette. She was wearing a dark cloak again, as she had the night they'd ended up on the turfs of grass together...and later in Cara's room. "You."

Kahlan simply removed her hood and narrowed her eyes. "Going any further will lead to your death."

Cara smirked. "Won't bother me much. Already died." She stepped closer to Kahlan. "Why'd you send me away...earlier today?"

Kahlan just looked up at the stars; the fog hadn't managed to block that view. "Nice night out, isn't it?"

"Kahlan...," Cara started.

"You called me an experiment," said the brunette, still looking off into the night sky. "And I don't like to feel used - like a toy to anyone." She suddenly met Cara's gaze, pinning it like she usually did. "When you said that, I realized we would only be friends... Because 'friends with benefits' with you, Cara, just won't do...not when you regard me as something to be ashamed of."

Cara pursed her full lips together, and clasped her hands behind her back. "Oh? And what about your vow to screw me?"

"That was before you killed the mood and I saw you for what you really are."

Cara was amused. This woman had come on to her twice - no, thrice - and now she herself was the one who had done something wrong once she finally reciprocated? "And what am I, really?"

Kahlan's jaw set firm. "A malfunctioned mate." She backed up one step, eyeing Cara up and down. "I could never be satisfied with you...emotionally or sexually."

Cara laughed, then clapped loudly. "And the Dramatica award goes to...Kahlan Amnell." She spat at the ground. "Like I care what you think of me anyway. 'Partners in battle' works just fine for me, because I would never want to be your friend. And we already scratched mate-slash-lover off the list... So..." Cara spun on her heel and started to walk away.

"No! Don't go any farther."

Cara ignored Kahlan's words, and continued on for the zombie graveyard.

Kahlan put her hood back over her head, watching the retreating form. "I did warn you."

**ACT 5**

Bones and skulls poked out of the black dirt, and the fog was no longer crowding the area. Cara walked out into the open.

From behind, someone watched her, inching closer and closer. Cara could feel the presence, and spun around as soon as the person was close enough to strike, raising her fist to her stalker's throat. "Jeez, it's only me," stated Hyper, standing in front of Cara with her hands up in the air. "You need a major break."

Cara gave the blonde a cold stare, before eventually relaxing, lowering her hand.

"Don't even ask what I'm doing here." Hyper tapped her foot. "That little trick you played earlier was cute. But I told you I'd do what I wanted anyway, didn't I?"

Cara let out an annoyed breath. "Fine Just stay close." She turned around and walked ahead, Hyper following.

Cara strapped on a holographic watch given to her by Blondes. "These watches can provide us with the information we need. They've already alerted me to the fact that besides fire…consecrated dirt and the symbol of the grave can hurt zombies as well." She pulled out a small, glass bottle of brown grit, handing it to Hyper. "There's your dirt."

IIII

At the playground, Blondes, his white scientist coat on, and a wine cooler in his hand, stood in front of a holographic screen. The screen displayed ancient men holding flaming sticks, battling ancient zombies. Words of some unusual language also ran across the screen. "Now that's just wrong," Blondes retorted to the message. "The end of days? Raising now?... Hell, of course it's now," he said with realization.

IIII

In a classroom, Bobby and his few friends from the other night sat at some desks near each other, laughing.

"I can't believe we broke into school. Most days, I can't wait to break out," said Leon.

Bobby looked to the broken glass window to his right. This was not the type of publicity this school wanted, news of hooligans breaking in and defacing things - stealing things - but oh well. Their security system should have been in place anyway. He didn't care. He was angry with Cara and needed to vent his frustration. Why not vent large? He picked up a can of spray paint at his side and tossed it to Leon. "Let's get to work."

Leon and the other friend immediately grabbed more cans of spray paint and went to the walls. "Hey, Bobby, this isn't all about Cara, is it?" asked Leon. He took off the cap of a can and started spraying some sort of design across the bricks before him.

Bobby, still sitting in his chair, ran his fingers through his hair. Of course it was all about Cara. He was glad she hadn't been seriously hurt, but he was tired of her distant attitude. She was more like a friend than a girlfriend these days… Always when he wanted more. And from what she had told him of her car accident, she could have still called. Bobby was seething inside. He needed to hurt Cara now, as much as she hurt him with every rejection of his kisses or sexual advances. "Yeah, well, it wouldn't be about her if she hadn't stood me up," said Bobby.

Leon looked back over his shoulder. "I thought she got into a car accident."

Bobby stood, grabbing a can of paint. "Excuses. Excuses." He moved to the dry-erase board. "You know, I should thank her, really. She's opened my eyes to what an ungrateful little bitch she really is."

IIII

In the corridor, near the room Bobby and his friends occupied, Gicko heard laughing. He stopped beside the door, listening. "I will probably thank her by dumping her in front of everyone at The Ditch tomorrow night," said a voice. Gicko recognized that voice. It was Bobby Alderson. What was Bobby doing at the school this time of night? And how had he gotten in? It's not like he had a resource like Blondes.

IIII

Bobby bent down and started spray painting parts of the floor. "That's it. I'll ask her there again, comment on her lack of skill at pleasing her men, then dump her ass."

Leon grinned, "You are so bad."

IIII

Gicko backed away from the door, at the sickening laughs. He had heard enough. He quickly walked away.

IIII

At the zombie graveyard, Cara moved in front of Hyper, scoping out the area carefully. Ten feet away, she spotted a stick protruding from the ground, a flat plate attached to it holding two red, diamond-shaped jewels. Cara frowned, and stopped, causing Hyper to bump into her. "Now you know it's predictable when the exact thing you came looking for is literally being offered to you on a silver platter," she spoke over her shoulder to Hyper.

With her hands, Cara cautioned Hyper to stay back, then moved toward the protruding stick. Once there, she hesitantly grabbed the jewels. "I bet as soon as I stuff these into my pocket-"

Suddenly, a dozen or so zombies walked out from the shadowed area, surrounding Cara and Hyper and growling. "-more than a dozen or so zombies will show up," Cara finished. She ran in front of Hyper, shielding her. "Time to try these babies out," she rose her gloved fists. "Locked."

The zombies simultaneously ran at Cara, Cara moving from left to right as she released the power of her flames, long torches of fire extending from her gloves, in and out, and giving her the stronger ground. Flaming enough of them away, so that they spread out with fear, Cara then flipped from one zombie to the next, back and forth, having a field day, maneuvering between and around Hyper in a way of pure brilliance. Hyper had never seen a more impressive fighting style. Cara's use of the flames could only be described as "natural."

Soon, two of the final three zombies got flamed, and then one angry zombie was left standing, rubbing at its own decaying head as though partially confused about what to do next.

Hyper, who had been squatting down for the last half of the fight, slowly stood up. Cara smiled at her. "All yours, Babe."

Without hesitation, Hyper threw her bottle of consecrated dirt at the zombie, it shattering all over him. The dirt burned him like acid and he howled to the moon. "A steady paste," smiled Hyper. She then grabbed Cara's hand, pointing it at the zombie, and then squeezing the other woman's fist to unleash the fire; the zombie burned into oblivion, and the remaining portions swirled into the earth. "And then flambé," added Hyper.

Cara just smiled at her admiringly. Hyper smiled back.

Yes, Cara, thought. Kahlan's warning had been a bunch of smoke after all.

IIII

Further, in the zombie graveyard, in the king's section beneath the ground, Big Bron, with Will at his side, gulped nervously in front of their master.

"So she isn't dead? So much in fact that she just destroyed several of my best warriors?" asked King Zombie.

"Actually," cut in Will, "I only witnessed her killing several of your worse warriors." Big Bron kicked Will in the shin. "Ow," was his response.

"Yes, King Zombie, we just witnessed it from a distance with our own eyes," stated Bron.

"And my jewels?"

"Gone," replied Bron.

"It's just as well," King Zombie bared his razor sharp teeth in a wide, satisfied grin.

IIII

At sunrise, Cara and Hyper still hadn't gotten back to the playground, and Gicko was worried. He exited out a corridor and saw Blondes paying some man in a red suit, handing him the dollars and then shooing him away. "What's going on?" Gicko yelled in his direction.

Blondes took out a comb and slicked back his hair. "Oh, just someone I hired to get me a few things." He made his way to a table of wine coolers, some empty; some fresh. He picked up one and started gulping it down.

"Hey!" screamed Gicko, marching to Blondes and snatching away the wine from the Youngster's hand. "What do you think you're doing? You may look like an adult, but you're still not, remember? No drinking. What, do you wanna stay in this form forever?"

Blondes wiped at his mouth and pouted. "I'll never be an adult by this world's terms anyway. Now give me back my booze."

"No." Gicko frowned. "Besides, Hyper has a drinking problem. She's a recovering alcoholic. Slipped up our first day here, and I don't want her tempted any further."

"Damn. You wankers really do have problems," Blondes sneered.

"Yeah, we do. Before any of this weird crap happened, I always wanted to be a warlock. And now that I know that this crazy stuff actually exists, I want to be one even more now."

Gicko picked up all the wine bottles, crowding them in his arms. "Got anywhere to put these?"

Blondes sighed and snapped, and a garbage can rose in front of Gicko. "Jeez. You have this place pimped out."

"Damn straight," retorted Blondes. He rubbed his hands together eagerly, as Gicko discarded the bottles. "So...what info have you found out?"

Gicko held up the watch around his wrist, and activated it to display a holographic screen before them, the screen showing whatever it was Gicko described. "My research tells me of this ridge - that literally split the town in two somewhere around the year 880. But in the times before it happened, prophets were predicting it would. Something about the long flame to destroy them all. Many men lost their lives by it."

"What else?" asked Blondes, devouring the knowledge and craving more.

"King Zombie was there," confirmed Gicko.

Gicko's holographic screen disappeared, and Blondes turned his back to the boy. "I understand now."

IIII

In King's section of the zombie graveyard, Big Bron and Will, now in their human form, kneeled before him.

From the shadows, an even bigger and uglier type of zombie approached and stopped in front of the king. He was not in human form, and King Zombie grinned. "You are Tinta Zombie. And in this time of the final days, you will provide Raising Ground. With that, we will forever be an army... It is now we will have legions by our side."

IIII

Gicko and Blondes sat on the jungle gym.

Cara and Hyper finally returned, smiling wide at each other as they approached. They had hung out for a bit after defeating the zombies, feeling the need to celebrate but also bond like they used to. And Hyper still couldn't get over the fact that Cara had called her "Babe."

"Got the jewels," Cara smiled Gicko and Blondes's way, stopping in front of them. "Stopped King Zombie from gaining any more power."

Hyper threw an arm around Cara's neck. "And you should have seen Cara - with the whole flaming thing. So like the new way of fighting." She startled to ramble on, "Not that the old way of fighting is bad, but it takes more oxygen, I figure, and oxygen is the last thing Cara needed, twirling back and forth, shooting those flame thingies. She was the master, she was… Just wow. "

Gicko and Blondes simply stared. Gicko was half-tempted to ask them what took so long. "Aw, man, why'd you go and get her all hyped up like that?" he asked instead.

Hyper beamed their way. "Sorry, guys. There' just nothing that's gonna bring me down in this moment."

"Armageddon," stated Blondes, causing Hyper to duck to the ground quickly; she looked from side to side. "Where?.. Where?" she asked.

Blondes got off the jungle gym and stood. "No. Armageddon is what's going to happen. King Zombie already used the jewels."

Hyper stood back up, Cara furrowing her eyebrows together. "You're serious?"

Blondes pulled at the jungle gym bar to display yet another holographic screen as it provided the visuals. "All right, you bastards, listen up… A little more than - Hell, I don't know the exact year... King Zombie was born, conceived by the two most powerful monsters at that time. They resided in D'Hara, before it was simply a town. Maybe even before it was 'D'Hara'... And after centuries upon centuries of their hunters - the kind meant to destroy them - dying here, the thing that helped to evolve this kind - the Flamer - into a stronger adversary - developed. These Flamers quickly named it their power center - a place that, because its ground holds the very essence or strength of the former dead to their race, empowers the recent Flamer with more strength than he or she naturally possesses."

Hyper pushed the glasses back up on her face. "So this town is Cara's power center?"

Blondes nodded.

Cara frowned. "And this King Zombie wants to destroy it, doesn't he?"

Gicko jumped down from the jungle gym bars, and continued explaining. "But he couldn't for many years because these magical prophets cursed the Tinta jewels - ones cut from Morphintinta - the only thing which could help accomplish this. Cursed the jewels forever to act as if they had a mind of their own, switching back and forth between various dimensions...all just avoid to King Zombie."

"Even creating duplicates to hide among," Blondes cut in, "which explains a lot of the fakes found around school."

Gicko took back over. "Then - see - his parents added a magical counter before they died to let their son capture the jewels near the end of days. Humans have worried about this time for ages. And King Zombie's goal is now possible.

Cara looked to the ground, then back up at Blondes. "You said 'End of days.' Does that mean -"

"Armageddon, yes," stated Blondes. "Zombies seem to believe that we are in the Earth's final years. They do not fear this themselves because their prophecy tells of only humans becoming extinct . "

"And this Raising Ground," Hyper inquired, "is to ensure this?"

"Most definitely," nodded Blondes. "The part of the story Gicko left out are the boots. The Tinta boots given to King Zombie when he was born, to be worn once he achieved full adulthood. The Tinta jewels you managed to find were to fit in either side of the diamond-shaped cut-out section of their middle to bring forth Tinta Zombie. And they surely have - "

Blondes's holographic screen is back up again, and it displays an even larger red, diamond-shaped jewel. "-to grasp the Morphintinta jewel," Blondes went on. "The Morphintinta jewel, once touched by the Tinta Zombie, will create Raising Ground. The changed ground of this town which will allow King Zombie the power to raise more zombies than he normally could...to have legions destroy this place - Cara's power center." Blondes narrowed his eyes to Cara. "Understand that once this Morphintinta jewel is touched by the Tinta Zombie, a glaze will spread over the earth, providing an even bigger opportunity for the event taking place here. Then the creature from within the jewel will break free to assist King Zombie in his quest. When this glaze manages to cover the entire town, Raising Ground will begin. And the only thing that can stop it…is the touch of a hero. The jewel being touched by such a person."

IIII

Later, Cara sat at one of "the cool" tables in the huge lunchroom, barely even hearing the chatter going on. Becky was saying something about penis size, and how she never got lucky with men in that department, and the others were talking about some break-in. Apparently, somebody had broken into the school. Stole a few computers to boot. But Cara didn't care. Her eyes were on Kahlan Amnell, sitting some distance away, at her own equally "cool table" across from her, with people who were just as popular. The brunette had made quite the name for herself. And even though rumors still ran rampant that she was gay, all because of what Cara and Becky had spread around about her, it didn't cramp her style in the least.

Every now and then, Kahlan met Cara's gaze, but then looked away. Cara saw sadness in those eyes each and every time and she really didn't need this. She was already stressed out about saving the world. "Be ready immediately after school," Blondes had stated to her. She and the others, however, had insisted they hurry, lest humans actually do become extinct, but Blondes, as usual, said he needed time to prepare. How the man...er...boy could be so calm in a time like this was beyond her. At least she had gotten the chance to change into fresh clothing.

Kahlan was looking at her again, and Cara took a sip of her drink. When Kahlan turned away to smile at some jock beside her, Cara frowned and looked down. The world could be coming to an end, and yet she was sitting here worried about what Kahlan was thinking. She wanted to know why the other woman's eyes, which usually appeared so vibrant and calculating, now seemed so sad and distant…with every look tossed her way. It wasn't the look of Feisty Kahlan, and she desperately wanted to talk to her. Either version. But she'd uttered some "not so good" things to Kahlan just last night. Was that why Kahlan now looked so lost? Cara rolled her eyes. _Get over yourself_. _As if Kahlan could see you as anything more than a sex toy_. _She called you out for looking at her like one, but she'd treated you like one for two days straight._

"Ooh, check it out," said Becky. Cara looked up to see everyone eyeing Kahlan's table. Big Bertha, the biggest - and most muscular - dyke in town, had approached Kahlan and was kneeling before her. Cara nearly choked on her drink. It was clear to everyone that Big Bertha was on steroids, and she often had a temper. "Looks, like Big Bertha wants some of that," added Becky. The group laughed.

Cara watched with bated breath as Kahlan spoke something to Bertha, and Bertha got up and went back to the other side of the lunchroom.

"Oooh, most likely denied!" Becky barked, and the group laughed again. Cara felt she should laugh as well, and did; Kahlan was no longer making eye contact with her. And what did it matter to her if Big Bertha wanted Kahlan? If Kahlan wanted to bed that wilderbeast, let her, she thought. But, deep down, Cara was beginning to feel that there was definitely something other than obligation between her and Kahlan, and it would seem she had successfully pushed that "something" away.


	4. PART 4, END OF EPISODE 1

**Scene summary: **Kahlan realizes she may have been too forward with Cara. She wants the blond, but comes to see "the truth" of things, and thus their bonding experience begins. The big battle is upon them, and Cara reflects on her life in addition to what must be done in order to save the world. As she stares down her enemies, she knows it has all led to this.

**Note:** The harshest curse words are bleeped out because this is the PG-13/14 version. The uncensored version can be found at livejournal.** And remember to review; it helps with the updating process. **

IIII**  
**

Kahlan rummaged through her locker, looking for everything she needed for her next class. Every now and then, people would pass by saying how cool, hot and great she was. _Kiss-asses_, she thought. She cared for none of these people. None except for Cara Mason.

Kahlan frustratedly bit on her bottom lip. Out of all the mates to be chosen for her, why did she have to end up with the drop-dead gorgeous, homophobic one? And why a woman? At least with an ugly mate, she could get in there and do her job without lust clouding her judgment (such as pulling her significant other back down for seconds). And at least with a man - a heterosexual one to be clear - she wouldn't have to deal with all this "It's wrong because you're a woman" bullsh**. Arggh! Yes, she had thrown herself at Cara, without any sense of shame, but it had been with the best of intentions. It was her job to see to it that the Flamer's power stayed intact, that it did not get out of control and destroy the Flamer. Not to mention that other added benefit their love-making would allow.

Kahlan grabbed her books and pencil for her next class and stared at the locker blankly. She wanted Cara, and she knew it. Not just sexually, but emotionally. Something other than looks was so beautifully appealing about the blond. Like how she would often try to hide her feelings, even when such feelings were long ago exposed, betrayed by contradictory actions. The other day, on the couch, for example, Kahlan could feel Cara's need, desire, want for her. She could read it on the other woman's face. And yet Cara spoke of something entirely different - sexual experimentation. "Apparently, I'm like a science project to her," Kahlan muttered under her breath.

Kahlan closed her locker and pondered deeper. Even if Cara only wanted to "experiment," that didn't mean Cara didn't want her. She had felt the Mord-Sith's inner yearning for her more than once. And the blond exuded raw sexuality without even trying. How a virgin was capable of such, Kahlan wasn't sure. But she knew it had to do with Cara's past life, way before she was Cara Pyro, way before she was born into this zombie-infested world. Kahlan also knew that all of this would make it that much harder to help her mate from afar. Not being able to be with Cara in the way every fiber of her being told her she should... Well, it hurt. A lot. It hurt even more having to fend off the likes of "Big Bertha" and others when Cara's attention was the only attention she sought.

"Kahlan," came that sultry voice from behind her.

She turned to see Cara of all people standing wide-eyed before her. Damn it. This wasn't just obligation lying between them; it was something, much, much deeper.

"For someone who wishes to be neither my lover nor friend, you sure have a habit of following me," Kahlan almost spat out out. She couldn't help it, she was annoyed.

"Shh," Cara looked around. The hall was nearly empty, kids rushing to class to beat the bell. Many feet away, some men worked on installing new alarms and cameras due to the recent break-in.

Kahlan sighed, hugging her books close to her body. "There is no 'Shh,' Cara. Everyone's hurrying to class, like we should be doing. So if you excuse me." She started to walk off.

Cara grabbed Kahlan by the shoulder, halting her, and Kahlan looked down at the contact. Cara pretended not to notice. "You're right, I don't like you," she responded.

Kahlan met the Mord-Sith's gaze. Something was different in those eyes, something she had not quite seen there before. "But," Cara continued, "it's only because you make me feel things."

Steadily meeting Cara's gaze, Kahlan slowly pulled her arm back. "What things?"

The question was silly because Kahlan knew exactly 'what things' Cara had been feeling... The sexual things anyway. But she wanted to hear Cara say it.

Cara narrowed her eyes, and completely ignored the question. "Let's skip."

The bell rung, and Kahlan looked up at the sound and then down the hall, but Cara's gaze remained on her. "Not even skip, let's ditch school for the rest of the day."

Kahlan finally returned her attention to Cara. "What?"

Cara shrugged. "You're my anchor. The world may be ending, and our bond is essential to my powers. I say we start getting a feel for each other now. You may be a dyke and all, but that doesn't mean we can't be civil to each other."

Kahlan stared at the other woman as though she had lost her ever-flaming mind. How could the blond continue to treat her like trash one day and show the utmost interest in her the next? _Powerful bond indeed. Either that, or the other woman wanted to make sure she was sufficiently prepared to stop King Zombie tonight. What did it matter either way?_ Kahlan knew Flamers and anchors could simply be friends. She had told Cara about it. And if friends - or rather acquaintances - was all they would ever be to each other, she might as well work on it.

Grabbing her big purse off from the side and putting it over her shoulder, she smirked at the blond. "Ditching school, are we? Aren't you an honor student?"

Cara moved closer, leaning an arm against the locker, like she had the first day she'd pressed into Kahlan, and repeated the brunette's words from the day before, "Like I care."

Kahlan smiled, intrigued and quite smitten. She raised a hand between them. "Any place in particular you care to go?"

"My place," Cara uttered, barely above a whisper.

Something about Cara's delivery of that line made Kahlan go weak in the knees, and she seized the opportunity, using her free hand to wrap around Cara's waist and pull the Mord-Sith into her.

In another instant, they were gone.

IIII

They ended up in Cara's room, still embraced. After a few moments of staring into each others' eyes, Cara moved away, breaking contact and moving over by her bed to lean against the post. She kept her back to Kahlan.

Kahlan, standing in the middle of the room, looked around. The area somehow looked bigger in the sunlight. And, boy, was it plain. Not much for decorating, Kahlan figured. It had everything a typical room would have, just nothing to make it unique. "Quite spacious," Kahlan finally said.

Cara turned to her, leaning lazily against the bed post. "Yeah, it is. It's a big house. My father had it built himself. Not as fancy-looking as your place, but big."

Kahlan nodded.

Cara folded her arms across her chest, eyeing Kahlan curiously. "Why'd you summon us to my bedroom? Why not the livingroom or the kitchen?"

Kahlan placed her purse on the floor, still clutching her books tightly to her chest. "Because I'm not familiar with other parts of your home. Only your bedroom. And this is more private."

Cara arched an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Kahlan arched one back. "Is this an interrogation?" She moved to place her books on the ground, giving Cara ample view of her cleavage as she bent over. This was one day she was happy to have worn such a loose-fitting shirt. It was silk and hugged her curves in all the right places without suffocating them. She caught a glimpse of Cara eyeing those particular curves and then darting her gaze off to the side. Kahlan stood straight. "Look, I told you I'm done trying to fu** you."

Fast enough to cause whiplash, Cara met the other woman's gaze, and studied it. She studied it some more. Studied it again, and then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Giggles reverberated throughout the room, and Kahlan watched the blond double over again and again.

"What's so funny?" Kahlan demanded. She hated being laughed at.

Cara shrugged. "It's just...the way you said it - 'fu** you.'" She giggled some more, finally calming down. "You said it all dainty-like. Like real royalty."

Kahlan frowned. "I cannot help the way I speak."

Cara stood straight, still chuckling a little. "It just sounds funny rolling off your tongue, Kahlan. That's all." Cara eyed her humorously. "Say it again."

Kahlan was not ashamed of her supposed 'accent,' and certainly would say it again. "Fu** you."

Cara fell back onto the bed, laughing and holding her stomach for dear life.

Kahlan, frustrated and wondering why she even agreed to meet with the juvenile, turned her back to the giggling figure. "Let me know when you want to discuss serious matters."

Cara, getting her laughter under control, slowly sat up. "I'm sorry. Really. You should just stick with 'Screw you' from now on."

Kahlan looked over her shoulder at the blond. "And then we can get to the real matter at hand?"

"Yeah, yeah," Cara waved her approval.

Kahlan turned around to face her. "Then screw you."

Cara smiled, sighing contently. "That's better."

Kahlan nodded, and as if owning the place, moved to grab a chair from Cara's computer desk. She placed it next to the bed, opposite the blond, and then sat there. Crossing her legs, she eyed the Mord-Sith expectantly. "So what is it that you want?"

"I saw you with Big Bertha."

Cara's face was unreadable, and Kahlan sighed. "So?"

"So," Cara's green eyes sparkled with intensity, "are you going to date her?"

Now Kahlan folded her arms. "Date?"

Cara rolled her eyes. "You know, the thing two people who like each other as more than friends do in order to get to know each other better or just for fun?"

Kahlan nodded hesitantly. "Oh...that."

"Yes, that. So are you going to?"

Kahlan thought for a second under Cara's critical gaze. Why was the other woman suddenly so interested in her love life? Was this jealousy? "I don't see how it's any of your business."

Cara frowned, and Kahlan felt the need to ease those creases on the other woman's forehead. "But if you must know, she's not my type."

Cara's face instantly cheered up. "What did you tell her? I mean, she did ask you out, right?"

Kahlan regarded Cara's immediate change in mood for only a moment. Hopefully, the blond wasn't bipolar. Kahlan had recently studied it, and it wasn't pretty. "I told her I was interested in someone else," Kahlan let the words roll from her mouth with as much meaning as she could possibly muster, eyeing Cara intently.

The intensity of that gaze must have been too much for Cara, because she looked to the floor. "I have a boyfriend. You know that. Bobby Alderson."

"And I don't care. I told you. You know that."

Cara raked her hands through her hair a few times before looking back up at Kahlan. "I'm going to try and make it work with him."

"Why?" Kahlan uncrossed her legs, leaning forward. "Can you honestly say you feel the same passion for him as you do when you're with me? And don't bother denying this 'thing' between us."

Cara sighed and fell back against the bed.

Kahlan felt the need to press on. "Is it love, is that why you stay with him?"

Cara laughed bitterly, looking over at Kahlan with a lift of her head. "Love? There's no such thing as love, Kahlan. Not the 'Oh, so romantic, I'll die without you' kind. There's 'like.' And then there's 'like you more.'" She let her head rest back against the mattress.

Kahlan was already shaking her own head in disbelief. "You really believe that, don't you?"

"And why shouldn't I?" Cara sat up, and challenged Kahlan with her eyes alone. When the brunette remained silent, she decided to get more answers. "Are you gay?"

Kahlan's mouth opened in mock shock. She then set her jaw firm, smirking mischievously. "Are you?"

"Hey! I asked you first. And you already know that I'm... Well, I'm..." Cara suddenly felt lost. She then frowned. "I'm not gay!"

"Have you ever felt sexual attraction to Bobby?"

She looked Kahlan right in the eyes. "Yes."

Kahlan could see that she was actually telling the truth.

"But," Cara looked defeated, "it's not very strong."

"Perhaps, you're bisexual then...on the far gay side of the scale."

Cara scoffed. "I don't believe a person can be bisexual unless they're equally attracted to both sexes. I mean, how can you be bisexual but prefer women?"

Kahlan smiled knowingly. "Are you saying you prefer women?"

Cara moved off the bed and paced up and down in the space between them. Then, with a sudden shift of her hips, knelt before Kahlan, looking up into the brunette's face with a desperate, pleading sort of expression. Kahlan thought back to earlier in the day, how Big Bertha had knelt before her just like this and how she had wished it was Cara who had been the one offering. Kahlan fought the urge to stroke the blond's cheek, to try and take away some of the other woman's confusion. She needed this longing for Cara to stop. She knew now that she could never have the Mord-Sith, and would just have to accept that.

"I'm no dyke, alright?" Cara tried to get her thoughts together. "But I need to know...this thing between us. What is it? And how does it work? Not what you explained before, I mean this -"

"-Pull?" Kahlan finished for her. "That's basically it - a pull. The bond. Your body calls out to mine because it fits mine like a puzzle piece would. And the only way to stop it, the sexual current, would be with either one of our deaths...or us truly thinking of each other as only friends; the bond would need to be platonic."

Cara pursed her lips together and settled her gaze on Kahlan's lap. That gaze did all sorts of things to Kahlan's already raging libido. It was bad enough she hadn't had sex in years. Many years. But complicated circumstances were to blame for that.

"So that's how you know - about my virginity, the way I feel when I'm around you. Why I can't fool you," Cara sneered and then stood.

Kahlan laughed. "That and the way you've responded. The virginity knowledge is entirely the pull's fault, but you didn't have to let me touch you, kiss you, come close to..." She paused, not wanting to agitate her mate any further. "Basically, the pull doesn't make you feel the way you feel for me, Cara. It just intensifies it. Like I told you before, some Flamers and anchors only have a friendship bond; for those partnerships, the physical attraction either isn't there or isn't satisfactory enough. In those cases, the bond solidifies the friendship."

Cara sat back down on the bed. "But their bodies still-"

"-Sure, their bodies are designed for each other," Kahlan clarified, "but that doesn't mean the inhabitants of those bodies are a perfect match. Somewhat similar to men and women having anatomical, fitting parts, but not every man and woman being made for each other."

"Show me how it works."

"Huh?" Kahlan could see the nervousness on the Mord-Sith's face.

"When my powers get out of control, how you will anchor them back in line. I want to know how it works."

Kahlan stood, placing a hand under her chin. "Well... If I remember correctly, you'd have to lose control first." She stared down at Cara. "But you haven't even fully awakened your powers."

Cara fell back on the bed again.

Kahlan moved to sit beside her. "You can sense it, though - the anchoring levels - when we touch."

Looking over at Kahlan, Cara slowly sat back up and scooted away a bit. Kahlan scooted closer. Cara scooted away again. Kahlan scooted closer again. Arggh. "Cara!" Kahlan yelled. "Just be still. I'm only going to touch your arms, okay?"

Cara looked as though she would pass out at any moment. "Kahlan," she started, "when you're this close, it feels..."

Kahlan touched a gentle hand to Cara's. "I know."

Cara closed her eyes, seemingly savoring the contact, but then... "This is stupid." She yanked her hands from Kahlan's and moved to the window on the other side of the room.

There was silence, Kahlan just watching Cara's back.

And then...

"Children... If we wanted, you and I could have biological children together?" asked Cara.

Kahlan seemed taken aback by the question, but answered anyway, trying to coax her voice into its most delicate tone. "Yes. To continue the Flamer line... As an immortal, I am otherwise unable to conceive, but being an anchor as well...I am permitted children with my Flamer. True, I am not aware of two men being paired, and doubt that such a union could bear fruit." She stared at the desk beside Cara's bed, seeing a picture of the Mord-Sith posing happily with Bobby. "But with two women...it is possible. You carry the Flamer seed, and when we...consummate...if not protected, I could be impregnated."

At this, Cara leaned further into the window.

"But," Kahlan started back up again, seemingly wanting to explain everything as quickly as possible, before the blond's patience was pushed too far, "being two women, it's not the typical conception. My sex would need to fit with your-"

"-That's enough," Cara shook her head and spun around to view Kahlan. "I don't know what's more disturbing...the thought that I may, for lack of a better word, have sperm roaming around in my nether regions...or that two women could possibly conceive a child."

Kahlan lowered her gaze to the floor. "I know it's a lot to take in."

Cara stared at the brunette incredulously. "A lot to take in? It's a damn buffet!"

Kahlan looked back up, meeting Cara's broken expression and trying to exude a certain level of calm in her voice. "This is how things are, Cara. And impregnating me is out of the question, remember? You want this Bobby fellow, and, well- "

"You watch TV?"

Kahlan felt she must have heard wrong. "Pardon me?"

"TV." Cara pointed to her left, to the flat screen television on a hook in the corner.

"TV?" Kahlan ran a hand through her hair. _Cara's skill at changing topics is something to be admired.  
_  
"Yeah, the invention that allows us to see what's going on in the world or complete and total fiction if you like."

Kahlan placed her hands in her lap, pulling her lips into the fakest smile Cara had ever seen. "Oh...that."

"Yeah, that," smirked Cara. "Because one of my favorite shows is coming on, and I don't want to talk this doom and gloom stuff anymore."

Kahlan frowned. "Cara, we must talk these things over. You must sort out your feelings and -"

"Over it."

"Over what?" Kahlan ran her palms together nervously. She hadn't been nervous in forever.

"Those are my feelings at the moment. Right now I'm over it."

"Cara..."

"Okay, if you want to talk about these things so much, then was that car accident really an accident?"

Kahlan's eyes sparkled, but she didn't say a word.

"And how old are you...really?" Cara added.

Kahlan narrowed her eyes on the television screen. "On second thought, TV is fine."

Cara laughed. "Oh, c'omn, you only look 18... 22 at the most."

"Biologically, I am."

"18?"

"Yes." Kahlan's gaze studied the black screen and its reflections. "But chronologically..."

Cara examined Kahlan's features, her reluctancy to continue. It was clear they both needed a distraction. Her mind made up, she walked to the dresser beside the television, grabbed the remote control from its top and moved to stand in front of Kahlan. Gesturing with her hand, she motioned for Kahlan to scoot over...far over. Kahlan gave her a pointed stare, but did as requested.

Cara sat on the far right side of the bed, and looked over at Kahlan. "The world may be ending, and a few hours from now I may not even be alive. If this is what's left of my life before the big fight, then I'd rather enjoy it." She looked down at the floor, then back up at Kahlan. "Watch TV with me?"

Kahlan looked into the depths of those green eyes staring back at her, seeing the fear the Mord-sith dare not speak of, the confusion the blond desperately tried to hide, and the sorrow that spoke for all of mankind. All Kahlan could do was nod. Cara deserved this peace.

And with that, the blond turned toward the television screen and raised the remote to flip it on. In an instant, Kahlan heard the other woman laughing and saying something about a baby's daddy.

"Baby daddy?" Kahlan questioned.

"Yeah," Cara laughed as she watched some talk show and tapped the remote against her thigh. "This woman just claimed six men as her baby daddy! Can you believe that? Six men!"

Kahlan had no idea what was so funny about promiscuity to the point of not knowing who your child's father was, or why Cara and the people on the television screen felt the need to pronounce it as "Baby Daddy," but she decided it couldn't hurt to play along.

"Ha, ha," Kahlan ground out, slapping a hand against her own thigh.

Cara cast a weird look in the brunette's direction, but eventually decided to just smile. _A strange one indeed, this Kahlan Amnell, but that cannot be helped, I suppose._

IIII

In the time that passed, Kahlan found she quite loved Cara's laugh. For some reason, she had never pictured the Mord-Sith being able to have this much fun, especially not with her. But as they skimmed across various television shows, and Cara giggled at one silly person after another, Kahlan wished she could make Cara smile, laugh and giggle that way. Seeing and hearing the blond enjoy herself did wonderful things to Kahlan's mind, soul...and heart. _What more is there to discover about Cara Mason_? she wondered.

Earlier, Cara had stopped on a channel about kittens at Kahlan's request, and Kahlan was impressed by how the blond patiently sat and watched with her; she didn't even attempt to turn the channel until Kahlan felt the need to spare the other woman more misery. Cara had openly listened to her about her love for kittens, and how that had been the case since she was a little girl. "Because the first kitten I ever got was from my mother, and I thought they were the cutest things I'd ever seen," Kahlan had said. And now Cara was lying back on the bed, a little closer to Kahlan than before and stealing gazes every and now and then. _This is probably what it would be like to date Cara_, she thought, which certainly wasn't an unpleasant musing.

Suddenly, Cara sat up, looking at the clock on her desk. "It's time," she said in her most stoic voice.

Kahlan, knowing exactly what that meant, stood and offered Cara her hand.

Cara turned off the television. In another moment, she reluctantly let herself be pulled up by Kahlan; they collided flush against each other, and Cara looked away when Kahlan tried to peer into those elusive green eyes. "Your purse and books," she told the brunette.

Kahlan smiled. "It all comes with me if I want."

In another instant, they were gone.

IIII

In the corridor leading to the playground, Kahlan made a move to pull away from Cara, knowing that such close proximity would upset the other woman. Kahlan's purse was over one shoulder, and her books were in her left arm. When she tried to pull away, however, Cara was still holding her right hand and keeping her in place. She looked down to see Cara studying her digits, each and every one.

"You have delicate fingers," said Cara stroking them with her own, before moving back to glare out the glass window of the door in front of them. She saw Gicko, Hyper and Blondes seemingly waiting for her outside.

Kahlan resisted the urge to relay the many pleasures those fingers could bring. "I enjoyed our evening together...Cara." She stared at the Mord-Sith's back.

Cara turned to her, and leaned against the door, a half-grin on her face. "If I survive the night, maybe we can do it again."

Kahlan smiled. After a few moments more, her features became serious. "Listen, I won't be assisting you in tonight's fight, but -"

"-You can fight?" Cara arched an eyebrow.

Kahlan smirked. "Very much so."

Cara's gaze raked over Kahlan's body and then back to those blue eyes.

Kahlan decided she would have to take the blond if she kept eyeing her like that. "The point is...you must pass the first round on your own."

Cara looked over her shoulder, out the window. Hyper was popping Gicko in the back of the head. Blondes seemed to be scolding them both. "Round? You make it sound like a boxing match."

"Well, just make sure you're in the winning corner."

"Will do," stated Cara, turning to leave.

"Cara," Kahlan said with a sense of urgency.

"Yeah?" Cara looked back at her.

"If today really was your last...why spend it with me? Why give me those precious few hours?"

Cara looked at the floor, as if pondering the question deeply, then back up at Kahlan. "I don't know."

And with that, she exited out the door, leaving Kahlan to stare after her.

Kahlan moved to the door and watched this woman who'd sparked her interest like no other. She saw a brown-haired boy playfully punching Cara in the arm, and a stunningly beautiful blonde wrapping an arm around Cara's neck, while what must be Cara's Youngster angrily pointing a finger at her.

Yes, out there was Cara's world, and Kahlan would have to accept that she was only a small part of it. She would have to find another mate.

Outside, Cara half-listened to Gicko's vow to die by her side, Hyper's vow to die in her arms, and Blondes's vow to abandon all their asses before he died. But all Cara could think about was Kahlan. She hadn't meant for their conversation to become so intimate, but it was like she had to ask Kahlan those things. Even the topic of children had felt necessary; somehow, she had been trying to envision what a life with Kahlan would be like, the complete package, what it had to offer. _Which was silly, because you'd never accept it anyway_, she told herself. On the other hand, she couldn't get the kisses she'd shared with the brunette out of her head.

Cara looked back over her shoulder at the glass window, and saw that Kahlan had gone. _Damn it_. She looked toward the ground, but found herself eyeing Hyper's exposed legs. Hyper had really great legs, she decided, just like Kahlan.

"Ahem," came the voice of the woman donning the short skirt before her.

Cara looked up to see Hyper smiling wide.

"Liking the view?" teased the blonde, as Gicko snickered and then walked off to join Blondes by the swing set.

Cara scoffed, turning her back to Hyper. "You wish."

There was silence. And then...

"You bet I do."

Cara spun around to make sure she'd heard her friend correctly, but Hyper was already moving to stand by the four intersecting slides.

_Must have heard wrong_, concluded Cara.

IIII

At the zombie graveyard, King's section, King Zombie and Tinta Zombie battled against the  
weaker undead, kicking ass as though they were simply mowing the lawn; it is a practice run, but no lives are spared.

Tinta's yellow eyes glowed and seemed to enhance the yellow crusted parts of his rugged, rock-like skin. He used impossibly long claws to slash at his victims, and was bigger than King Zombie.

The king resorted to swiftly snapping necks, and ripping through chests with single blows.

Within moments, they stood triumphantly over their challengers.

IIII

Cara and the others spent the whole day going over possible ways to defeat King Zombie. In light of the beefed up security around school, Blondes had an invisible force field surrounding them; they couldn't be seen from the outside, and now it was night time. The outside lights shone down, and they were discussing King Zombie's immortality.

"He doesn't turn human during daylight because he is a pure blood," stated Blondes.

"Figured as much," remarked Hyper, standing as close to Cara as possible without bumping arms.

Gicko was beside Blondes, in front of the two, and watched Hyper's body language carefully. He didn't want to believe that the girl of his dreams was crushing on another girl, but he knew "the smitten signs" when it came to Hyper. He took comfort in the fact that she'd never showed interest in another woman before, and hoped he was simply imaging things.

Cara looked to the grass, then back up at Blondes. "What if I die again?"

Blondes straightened out his scientist coat. "Hmm. Are you certain you don't know more about this person - this woman who made it possible for you to revive last time?"

Cara rolled her eyes. _Goodness, Blondes was behind on his research. True, he wouldn't know that Kahlan is her anchor unless she told him, but he should already be on the lookout for such a being._ "No," she lied. "But the last thing I need is a zombie slashing me with his razor nails again."

Blondes frowned. "Be wary of those." A human skull displayed on the holographic screen between them, visible on both sides. "That's how a zombie feeds on the brains of humans, by sticking its razors, which emerge over the fingernails at will, into either side of its victim's head, literally sucking the mind out and into themselves."

Cara raked her fingers through her hair. "It's time for me to fight. Where is this Morphintinta jewel located?"

"The Morphintinta Forest only exists at night. And tonight is the first night of the foretold end of days. You can bet that's where are enemies are headed." Blondes threw a holographic watch at Cara, and she caught it. "That's an improved model, and should show you the way."

Hyper scoffed. "Oh, so now you're handing out directions," she mocked of his earlier uselessness in showing Cara the way to the zombie graveyard.

Cara started to head, off, but -

"Cara," Gicko called out. He ran to her. As she stared at him expectantly, with that annoyed look she often got when being pulled away from her duties, he contemplated whether or not to tell her about what he'd learned of Bobby. It was no news that the man was a f**king asshole, but that he would embarrass and dump Cara in the way he had planned was sickening beyond belief. "There's something you should know about Bobby. He's gonna-"

Just then, the holographic watch Cara had on started ringing. It illuminated their faces against the dark, and Cara smiled, raising her wrist. "Cool, huh? These little watches also act as speaker phones."

She pushed a button on the tool, and suddenly Bobby's voice was heard: "It's about time you answered your cell," he said.

"Where have you been, Bobby?" Cara replied. "God, I've been worr-"

"More like where have you been," he cut her off. "But, hey, I forgive you. Wanna meet at The Ditch tonight?"

IIII

Bobby's car was halted to a stop, his usual gang with him as they listened to Cara's words: "Can't, Bobby. Gotta go. Really happy to know you're okay."

The phone hung up.

"Well?" Leon peered over at Bobby.

Bobby frowned. "On to Plan B - the tracking systems installed into all of my cars. If Cara takes either one of them, it'll lead us to her."

Bobby checked the rear view mirror, revealing several cars lined up behind him, full of teens hooting and hollering from their windows as their horns honked and car lights lit up the night's atmosphere. He spoke to the mirror as if speaking to them all, "Won't we, guys?"

Bobby and the cars drove on. He would make Cara pay. He would.

**ACT 6**

Cara put on her favorite pair of flaming gloves, the red ones; they matched the red, leather pants she had on, having changed into them earlier in the day. She felt that red was best for battle, and it also contrasted quite nicely with her tight, gray V-neck shirt.

Gicko, Hyper and Blondes all stood behind her.

"This town got its names because of the dark magic used by its people back in 880," said Blondes. "They created a flaming ridge that kept the monsters divided from them for decades - until it burned out. Don't let that which rages within you burn out too, Cara Pyro."

Cara looked up to the night sky; something seemed thick in the air. And she wasn't sure she liked being called "Pyro" anymore. "I won't," she answered, looking straight ahead.

Gicko and Hyper moved to touch Cara on the shoulder. "We won't."

They all started to head out, but Cara stopped to look back at Gicko. "What were you gonna tell me about Bobby?"

Gicko knew he should tell Cara. But what if Bobby wasn't serious? Cara seemed to really care for him, and Gicko didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble between the two, if being with Bobby made Cara happy. And, sure, it was likely that Bobby had defaced and robbed from the school, but they had more important things to worry about at the moment. "Oh - it can't wait," he told Cara.

"Good," Cara nodded. "We'll take Bobby's car."

Gicko smirked. "He still trusts you with his vehicles? Gotta give him credit for patience."

"Shh." Cara turned forward, and they all finally headed out.

IIII

Cara decided to stop home first; there was something she needed to do.

She entered her kitchen to find her mother cooking something on the stove. It smelled like clam chowder. Not Cara's type of meal, but at least her mom was trying. And everything was extremely clean. "Wow, Ms. Pyro. You really fixed up the place, " Cara said from behind her.

Ms. Pyro turned around to view her daughter. "Cara."

Cara moved to hug her, tightly. She then kissed her on the cheek.

The other woman stood frozen. "Cara. What's wrong? This isn't like you."

It was true. Cara didn't like hugging. And she had barely kissed her mother on the cheek in all the years she'd known her. But if this was the last time she'd ever see the woman, she didn't want to leave this world without letting her know how very dear she was to her. "Sorry, mom. Can't stay. Friends outside," Cara said simply. "Love you. Bye."

She ran out the door.

Ms. Pyro smiled after the girl. _That kid is an enigma. _"Love you too."

IIII

At Morphintinta Forest, Big Bron, Will, and Tinta Zombie walked into a wide, cleared area. The forest wasn't very impressive. Typical trees. Typical grass. Typical land.

"Forest?" Will scoffed, raking a finger across his razor sharp teeth. "They should just call it the woods."

Simultaneously, their eyes locked on a sight at least twenty feet away from them. There sat what surely had to be the Morphintinta jewel on an altar. Light shone down over it from above, as if sent from the heavens.

Big Bron and the others started to move toward it, when -

A car pulled up behind them. Then several more cars.

Bobby and his pals exited the first car. Other teenagers jumped out of their own cars, jocks loading stereos on their arms and carrying them to the middle of the cleared area where Big Bron and the other two zombies stood. "Hey, the little blond kid's ugly family is here," said one jock, looking to them. " You know, the ones from the news."

Will wanted to laugh. _So that's why they don't realize the danger they're in right now_. _What fools._

The jocks hooted and hollered.

Bobby smacked his teeth at Leon, frustration radiating from his very being. "I don't get it. The damn tracking system says Cara is here. She's gotta be around here somewhere."

Most of the girls sat back on cars. The jocks turned on the stereos, and music blared out. "Let's party, people!" said the same jock who'd commented on Big Bron's trio.

Tinta Zombie had enough of this. His two companions might be push-overs, but he most certainly was not. And their king would soon know this too. "You had better take care of these infidels," he said in a low, threatening tone as he eyed Big Bron and Will. "King Zombie wishes that I lay my hand on the jewel now."

Tinta walked toward the altar, and just as he reached for the jewel, a medium-sized fence rose from the ground in front of him, encircling the altar and blocking his attempt.

A second jock approached Will. "Listen, buddy, I know the chicks at this party aren't all that tonight. But neither are you, right?" He playfully elbowed Will. "So what do you say we both go over there and mingle anyway? Just for the fun of it?"

Will quickly ejected his razor nails and stuck them into either side of the second jock's head, sucking the mind out and into himself. He hated jocks, and wanted to make this act particularly excruciating. Grinning, he twisted the razors in deep and watched the boy shake violently, blood oozing out of his membranes. He then yanked the razors back and pulled out a good portion of brain along with him.

The boy's lifeless body collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The teenagers halted, a large, collective gasp escaping their lips.

IIII

At the zombie graveyard, King Zombie watched his minions' exploits on the holographic screen which flashed before his eyes.

"That's it," he grinned.

IIII

Back at Morphintinta Forest, a third jock smiled at the boy's lifeless body. "Oh, don't worry, " he assured the crowd. "I heard about this. Apparently, the boy's ugly family also does magic tricks to try and scare us off."

The teenagers shook their head in understanding and then went back to chatting as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

Will just shook his head. _How is it these people actually believe that?_

Tinta Zombie ignored the chattering behind him and growled at the fence blocking his way to the Morphintinta jewel. "What is this?"

Big Bron had appeared at his side. "I have heard of that. Its reaction says that it fears the touch of the hero's hand."

Tinta growled even louder, realization dawning on him. "Which means -"

Like clockwork, Cara flipped out from the darkness and landed to the side of the two.

Gicko, Hyper and Blondes appeared seconds later, stopping near the teenagers to watch their friend stand face to face with the zombie trio.

Leon nudged Bobby beside him, and Bobby nodded. "Yeah, I see her."

A few of the girls on the cars giggled amongst themselves. "We'll be right back," one of them said in Bobby's direction. Bobby didn't hear them. His eyes remained on Cara.

Big Bron made an attempt to disregard the Flamer, and looked to Tinta. "Maybe all you need to do is touch the fence to let it know your grasp is of evil."

Cara folded her arms across her chest. Was this asshole really ignoring her? Sure, he'd wiped the floor with her last time. But that was last time.

Tinta moved to lay his hand on the fence, and, as Big Bron predicted, it went back into the ground. _Not as dumb as King Zombie made him out to be_, Tinta figured of his accomplice.

"I'd think twice about touching that jewel if I were you," warned Cara.

Tinta laughed. He turned to his partners. "Will? Big Bron?"

The two growled Cara's way, Will coming to stand beside Big Bron.

By the cars, Gicko nodded to Hyper. "So you gonna scream for your ex?" He knew it was a stupid question, but he was beyond frustrated. _How could she date Will? And even crush on Cara, but not me?_

"What?" Hyper wiggled her nose.

"You know. What he said about you being a screamer and all."

Hyper angered, and pinned Gicko with her most dangerous glare. "What? Is that what's been on your mind this whole time?... I'm a virgin, Gicko!"

Blondes quickly surveyed the girl up and down. Hyper hit him for this. "Yes, that's a virgin, Blondes!"

Blondes held up his hands as if to apologize.

"God!" Hyper continued. "The only reason Will said that is because we would get into hair pulling contests with each other back at my house, and he would scream like a little bitch."

Suddenly, their attention was drawn to Cara flaming Big Bron; seeing this, Will hollered like a little bitch and ran off, leaving Tinta to deal with this sh**.

Gicko nudged Hyper. "Like that?"

Hyper nodded. "Yeah, exactly like that."

Now Cara and Tinta faced each other. "Looks like it's just you and me," he grimaced.

"Looks like," replied Cara.

The teenagers off behind them applauded, clearly entertained by the "magic show." Bobby and Leon didn't know what to make of what was going on.

Hyper was still angry with Gicko. "Will was a total geek. If I learned one thing about geeks, it's that you don't date them."

Gicko looked stunned by Hyper's words, as well as hurt. _So says the geek. _

He backed up, distancing himself from Hyper as far as he could, but she didn't seem to notice anyway. Her eyes, just like Blondes's, were on Cara.

Behind him, at the bushes, the girls who'd left earlier, watched Gicko with giggles. "Gicko. Psst, Gicko," one of the girls called.

Gicko turned to view them.

"Yeah, you," said another girl. "Come here."

They were pretty enough, Gicko decided. _So why not? _He moved into the bushes after them, and walked off.

IIII

Further in the "forest," Gicko eyed all three women. "How do you know my name?" he asked. "And what are you doing out here?"

The third girl sniffed something in her hand. "Waitin' for you, silly."

Gicko felt his ears must be playing tricks on him. "Say that again?"

The first girl grinned. "How can we not know who you are when you're hanging with Cara all the time?" She moved to grab him by the hand. "C'omn. We have something to show you. Better than watching an ugly family do magic tricks."

"But -" Gicko started.

Not letting him finish, the girls pulled him further into the would-be forest.

IIII

Cara frowned at Tinta. "I'm gonna say it for the last time: Don't touch that jewel."

Tinta laughed heartily. He didn't know why he'd hesitated this long. Ignoring Cara, he picked up the jewel. Mystical light instantly shone down on him; the ground surrounding the altar slowly leaked gray metallic-looking material, glazing the earth as it passed underneath their feet.

It was liquid...but it also was not.

Tinta put the jewel back on the altar.

Satisfied with himself, he turned back to view his opponent, but -

Cara flamed his ass before he even had a chance.

As if in response, a big ball of white energy shot out from the jewel, hitting Cara in the chest and sending her several feet away, smack dab into a windshield of a nearby car, shattering its glass.

The teenagers turned to view the matter. Girls stopped their gossip. And the jocks stopped blaring their music. Hyper wanted to run to Cara, but Blondes held her back by an arm.

Cara slowly sat up, wincing and looking over to where the jewel was.

The jewel discharged light in every direction, and then -

A big three-horned demon was thrown from the jewel, landing right in front of Cara. Many of the teenagers gasped and backed away.

The monster was hideous, even more hideous than Big Bron and Tinta, _if that was even possible._ It was green, with yellow scales lining its arms and legs, and the center of its head. No doubt the scales lined its back as well. It had large, glowing red eyes, and puncture holes with pink puss leaking out of its face. And as though some deformed version of a saber-toothed tiger, it had two protruding teeth emerging from either side of its closed mouth. At its waist, there was a belt, its only stitch of clothing, and attached to that belt was a huge gold and silver sword.

Cara gulped. _This would not be good._

**ACT 7**

The light ceased to charge.

One jock jumped up excitedly by what was transpiring before his eyes. "Whoo! Now that's what I call a magic trick!"

The three-horned demon pointed to Cara, and spoke in the deepest voice known to man. "You have charged Morphintinta. Now you shall die by Morphintinta."

The Morphintinta monster moved to Cara; picking her up by the neck and slamming her down hard against the car.

Bobby grabbed on to Leon. "No."

Hyper grabbed on to Blondes. "No, Blondes. We can't just let her die."

Blondes rubbed his five o'clock shadow with his free hand. "You must have faith, and I assure you...so will Cara."

Hyper frowned. "You know who else should be having faith? Gicko. I mean, where the f**k is he?"

IIII

"Sex?" Gicko asked.

The three girls stood in the wooded area in front of Gicko, their shirts off, exposing their bras. Each of them seductively circled the flesh at their cleavage with their fingers. "We know you're a geek and everything," said the first girl. "And you like books and stuff like that. But you're a hot geek. And, yeah, sex is only one of the many things we know you must have extensive knowledge on."

The second girl flipped her blond hair. "Which is why we want to have sex with you...Gicko."

"Sex."

"With."

"You."

All the girls said their lines in an extremely alluring order.

Gicko raised his eyebrows. _This has to be a dream._ Things like this just didn't happen to him. "Me?" he wanted confirmation.

"Mm-hmm," all the girls said in unison.

"You can have one of us...or all of us. As long as we get to watch," stated the first girl.

They all moved in on Gicko, and Gicko backed up nervously. "Um...girls, you know what? Could we just talk about this? You say knowledge, but really..." _Really I'm a virgin_, he thought.

The girls pounced on him, taking him to the ground.

IIII

The teenagers, Hyper and Blondes watched Morphintinta Monster throw Cara behind him, sending her crashing into a tree on the other end of the cleared area. He turned to view her just as her back slid down against the tree.

Cara, sitting back, wiped the blood from her mouth. She picked up a stick from her side.

To Cara's surprise, Morphintinta Monster already had a stick in his hand as he strode toward her, the ground shaking with every one of his footsteps.

Cara stood just in time to start dueling with the monster, sticks clashing against sticks.

Hyper looked to the ground and saw that it was completely glazed. She squeezed Blondes's arm in response. "The glaze of Raising Ground. It's spreading fast."

IIII

From the town's skyline, the glaze could be seen spreading across most of Firesridge's transportation system, coming close to crossing the town's border.

IIII

As the teenagers were entertained by Cara's fight with the beast, Hyper and Blondes feared the worst. "Yes, Cara had better hurry," echoed Blondes.

Cara, having thrown down her stick, flamed Morphintinta...but it did nothing.

Morphintinta palmed Cara's face with one hand, and quickly rid her of her flaming gloves. He then yanked her by the shirt and swung her back and forth as though a yo-yo, ripping the shirt from her body and leaving her in her bra and red leather pants.

Some of the jocks hooted at the sight of Cara's exposed flesh; Bobby looked to them in disgust.

Hyper looked as though she wanted to run to Cara. And, Blondes, knowing this, held her back.

Morphintinta threw Cara to the ground and jumped on her abdomen; Cara yelped in agony.

IIII

Gicko stood up, naked as the day he was born, and breathing heavily. "I'm the Gicko of the world!" he yelled.

Feminine hands pulled him back down to the "forest" floor, Gicko landing on top of an equally naked form. "You're the only Gicko," breathed the girl beneath him. The two kissed, and, as the other two watched, they rubbed hands along Gicko's back and ass.

IIII

Cara was held up high by her hair, and Morphintinta turned to the teenagers to dangle Cara there before their eyes. "Which one of you men belongs to this woman? Surely, one of you thought it a great deal to bed a Flamer. Show yourself so that I may rape you and watch as she squirms. As she pleads even."

At this, Bobby started to back up.

Cara was dropped to the ground in an instant, looking up to see Bobby's fearful face. "No."

Morphintinta had spotted him. "You!"

Cara tried to come to her feet, but Morphintinta hit her back to the dirt. "Stay down."

Morphintinta started to make his way to Bobby.

Cara angered. _No, not Bobby. Not my future_. She popped to her feet, and effortlessly flipped right in front of the monster. "I said...no."

Morphintinta watched this creature before him. Something was wrong. The wind started to blow, the air became thick, and yellow sparks could be seen flickering up from the ground.

Cara's hand coiled into a fist, shaking violently. It started to glow bright yellow, her breasts heaved as though an entity would burst from them at any moment, and her eyes glowed red. Her beautiful blond hair turned equally red.

Bobby's mouth dropped open.

Blondes touched Hyper's shoulder. "From within her, it burns."

Hyper looked horrified. "Yeah, exactly what would that burning be? Her soul?"

Blondes shrugged. _Close enough_. "Makes sense."

Cara and Morphintinta started to circle each other.

In another moment, they fought simultaneously. Fist to fist, arm to arm, leg to leg, neither could get the upperhand.

Cara soon went for a different approach. Doing a handstand, she used her legs to wrap around Morphintinta's head and slung him across the dirt. Before she knew it, her entire body was in flames. _F**k! Goddamn it. __What is this sh**?_ _F********ck! _

It wasn't literally burning her...and yet it was. It hurt like hell.

She looked across and saw the Morphintinta jewel still on the altar. _Once Raising Ground starts, the only thing that can stop it is the jewel's touch of a hero_, Blondes had said. Realizing this was her chance, she set aside the pain and dashed for the altar. As she reached for the jewel, Morphintinta jumped behind her and threw her over his shoulder as if she were a ragdoll.

Cara crashed into Bobby. Turning to view her love, she grinned . "Glad to see you're still alive." Cara placed a hard kiss to his mouth, and Bobby sighed into it. _Clearly, he can't feel the pain like I do._

Hyper looked positively jealous.

Cara moved away from Bobby and flipped back to Morphintinta.

Bobby was left speechless. He even wobbled a bit.

Leon tried to hold him steady. "Bobby! Bobby, what about the plan?"

Bobby's eyes were transfixed on Cara, completely smitten. "What plan?"

Morphintinta kicked Cara, then drew the sword at his waist.

IIII

From the skyline, the glaze could be seen as nearly covering the town.

IIII

As the teenagers, Hyper and Blondes watched, Cara took in a deep breath and jumped higher than humanely possible, coming back down to punch the ground.

The earth shook, along with everyone else, and the Morphintinta jewel shot up into the air, over the head of Morphintinta and right into Cara's hand. She waved it mockingly at the monster. "Finders. Keepers."

The beast became faded, trying to catch Cara as it growled, but it was soon drawn in by the jewel, trapped within its confines once more.

IIII

At the zombie graveyard, King Zombie screamed in defeat, "Flamerrrrrrrrr!"

IIII

From the skyline, the glaze could be seen as having stopped. It had started to retract, tracing back to where it came.

The town - and world - had been spared of Raising Ground.

IIII

The Morphintinta jewel shot out a ray of light at Cara, causing her to fly back into the "forest," jewel still in hand, along with the Morphintinta monster's sword.

The teenagers all applauded.

IIII

In a very wooded area, Cara came to her feet, burning in agony. It was getting worse; she knew it. She was going to die; she wanted to die. It hurt so badly. The flames made it hard to see. She dropped the jewel beside the sword in despair.

And then there was Kahlan, dark cloak flowing as she emerged from the darkness before her. Kahlan's arms were around Cara in an instant, shielding her from the pain, taking it all away. _This...this is freedom_. She could feel Kahlan's body drawing in the flames. Kahlan's heartbeat was soothing, in sync with her own, and she felt the brunette's hold tighten as if to protect her from all the horrors of the world. She could feel the different levels, notches within her being bested, put in their place by Kahlan. _So beautiful_. Cara sighed against Kahlan's shoulder and embraced her just as tightly. _This angel has delivered me from damnation._

Kahlan pulled back and touched a soft hand to Cara's now flameless face. The blond's wounds were already significantly healing, and she raked her fingers through the other woman's hair, watching in awe as it changed from red back to blond.

Cara watched Kahlan as the brunette's eyes settled on hers, conveying a softness that made Cara melt. Kahlan wanted to kiss her. She could feel it. Their faces were so close to meeting, so close to sealing what they would be to each other...but then -

"Cara!"

Cara turned in the direction of the voice calling out from behind her. It was Hyper. "Those are my friends. Blondes is probably -"

She tuned back to view Kahlan, but Kahlan was gone._ I didn't even feel her leave. It feels like she's still here._

Hyper and Blondes approached, Hyper immediately embracing Cara. _This hug isn't the same._

"You were awesome," Hyper pulled back. "The sword. That hair." She raked a hand though Cara's blond locks.

_This touch isn't the same._

Blondes nodded. "Yep. Asses, you kicked."

Cara finally shrugged, dusting away the dirt from her bra. "Stopped Armageddon, right?"

Blondes took out a comb and slicked back his hair. "Now of course there's just one question left to ask."

Cara and Hyper looked to him.

"When the hell are we going home?"

IIII

At the cleared area, the stereos were loaded up, and the teenagers were getting into their cars.

First Jock looked to their dead buddy on the ground as he and Third Jock stood over him.

"Oh, leave him," said Third Jock. "That last trick must've really tired him out."

The jocks approached their rides. "Houdini, Copperfield be damned. That was the best magic show I've ever seen," added Third Jock.

"Hell, yeah," agreed the friend.

They got into their cars.

Bobby and Leon were getting into their car as well, just as Cara, sword and jewel in hand, and her gang emerged from the wooded area near them.

Bobby smiled her way. He didn't know what a 35-year-old man was doing with them, but he'd worry about that later. "Need a lift?"

Leon looked at him as though he'd lost it.

Cara moved in front of Bobby. "We arrived in one of your cars."

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it." Bobby gestured for Cara to get in the front, taking Leon's spot. "Why didn't you tell me you were a part of the act?"

Cara simply smiled, and got into the car with a pointed look at Hyper, silently telling her, "Suck it up."

Hyper didn't want to ride with Bobby, that much was evident. And the very thought made her sick. But at least it would get her home. She moved into the back with Leon, Blondes crawling in beside her.

Everyone secure, Bobby pulled from the scene.

Other teenagers pulled away as well.

Gicko and the three girls came running out, Gicko with his pants at his ankles and the girls buttoning up their tops and the like. "Did I miss something? What did I miss?"

They saw the cars driving away. "No, wait!" Gicko screamed. But it was too late.

One of the girls pouted. "Aw, man. Who's gonna give me a ride now?"

The second girl smirked. "I thought you just had one of those."

Gicko looked to the women and laughed. They all huddled together, taking comfort in their silly predicament.

IIII

The next day, at D'Hara High, Bobby walked across campus with Leon at his side. "Yeah, Cara and I are going to work things out," he told his friend.

"You sure, man? You were pretty pissed at her."

Just then, Gicko backpack slung over his shoulder, bumped into the two. He looked tired, and Bobby and Leon smirked.

"Wow. Gicko. I see you're as much of a klutz as ever."

Gicko rolled his eyes. He really didn't need this sh**t, and decided as much when he moved in close to Bobby. "I know what you had planned for Cara last night, Bobby. So stop the pretenses. Cara cares about you, which is the only reason I won't expose you for the assfu** you really are."

With that, he left the two to themselves, Bobby with his mouth agape.

IIII

At the playground, Cara, Hyper and Blondes sat on a bench. The two jewels, as well as the Morphintinta sword, were at Blondes's side.

Gicko approached, running a hand across his brow.

Cara saw the tired lines around his eyes. _The boy must have had a long night. "_Where have you been?" she asked. "So much for dying at my side."

Hyper crossed her legs. "Yeah, you missed-"

"I know," Gicko straightened his back. "Heard all about it. Sorry I wasn't there."

Blondes felt more needed to be said between the three, but he didn't have time to listen to their squabbling. He'd taken care of the dead jock's body, making it disappear, as well as other things to hide the zombie secret, and now he needed to take care of this. "Have a seat," he told the boy.

Gicko did, beside Cara. He put his backpack at his feet.

Blondes stood, moving in front of them all. "Cara, the Morphintinta sword and jewel are now yours. As you know, within the jewel lies a beast. Someday, you may be able to conquer that beast and summon it for your own bidding. But for now...the jewel gives you more strength already. Over time, that strength will grow as you grow. Advance as you advance. It's already improved your level of skill. With each Armageddon-type of event you take down, your level improves significantly."

Cara held up the jewel, examining it.

Blondes then eyed the brown-haired boy and handed him the other, smaller jewel. "Gicko, the jewel before you is now your destiny. You mentioned wanting to be a wizard. Well, you needn't study any longer. Your current level will provide you with magic beyond belief."

Gicko stood, trying to expel magic from his hands.

Blondes scrunched up his nose. "On second thought - study. Study a lot more."

Gicko sat back down, wholly embarrassed.

Blondes then looked to Hyper.

"Oh!" Gicko held up a finger as if to halt Blondes. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the other small jewel he'd been keeping, the jewel which had originally belonged to Hyper. Cara's words echoed in his mind: _"Offer her some jewelry - something shiny. We both know she loves shiny things. Say it's just a gift between two friends. If she says, 'Cool,' then better luck next time. But if she says, 'Oh, Gicko, I've been meaning to give you something too,' then you're in."_

Gicko reached across Cara to hand Hyper the jewel. Hyper pushed the glasses back up on her face and took it. "Cool," she said.

Gicko moved back, a saddened look on his face. Cara just shook her head. _Shouldn't have given her something used, you goof. At least now you'll be able to move on._

Blondes took this time to address the final member of the trio. "Hyper, you talk a lot. Your jewel should shut you up often enough to infuse you with closed-mouth wisdom instead."

Hyper scoffed. "You mean to tell me that's it? That's all I get?" She started up in her usual non-stop talk. "Not to say get all. Or to get you must. And, really, who says 'to get you must' anyway? Why, I -"

Hyper was suddenly silent, sitting "Indian Style" and meditating. "Hmmmmmmm."

Cara and Gicko snickered.

Blondes continued on. "Your jewels chose you, have a mind of their own. They avoided King Zombie for centuries. And so might others, allowing you to stumble upon more jewels." He cleared his throat. "See, there are many other things to face in this power center of Cara's. Other things beside zombies. So we will fight. Fight them together."

Blondes noticed a red-suited man fifteen feet away, with two wine bottles in his hand. "Be right back," he told the group.

IIII

Fifteen feet away, Blondes paid the man. The man looked over at the youngsters. "They look like great kids," he said wistfully, and then walked away.

Blondes turned to view the teenagers he would now have to guide, and raised a wine bottle. "Yes - the kids who will save the world...time and time over." He took a sip of his wine and made a move forward, but then stumbled to the ground. "F**kity-f**k"

IIII

Back at the table, Cara looked over her shoulder at the cursing Blondes and grinned. Yes, this was a strange new world she was a part of, and most of it still didn't make sense. But somehow she was filled with calm_. It won't be that bad_, she decided. Not as long as she got to hug Kahlan Amnell every now and again.

_**CARA AND KAHLAN: REINCARNATION AMONG THE FLAMING DEAD **_

_**EPISODE 1 COMPLETE**_


	5. EPISODE 2, PART 1

**Scene summary:** The seniors try to raise money for certain school activities. Cara discovers something unnerving about Kahlan's recent whereabouts in the time since their previous big battle, and the gang come up against a strange, new force. Kahlan meets Cara's mom, and Cara is finding it difficult to fight her growing attraction to the brunette.

**Note:** **Remember to review; it helps with the updating process. **

**ACT 1**

**Episode 2: "Mom, Meet Kahlan"  
**

It had been two weeks since Cara and the gang had defeated King Zombie and his minions. Well, mostly just his minions. In the days following, they had waited, had been on the lookout for any further zombie activity, but, oddly, it had been a peaceful two weeks in the days since. Blondes had finally learned of what an anchor was, and was eager for Cara to find hers. They had studied, studied some more, and then studied again. And now Cara, Gicko and Hyper wanted to have a little fun before the gloom and doom started back up again.

"I completely disagree with this. There is more research to be done, more planning to be had. Partying and the like will not do," stated Blondes, angrily slinging his scientist coat over a few toy animal rides.

They stood on the playground, the sun shining down brightly, as all four had just arrived at school. Cara was already frustrated that Kahlan had been avoiding her. She hadn't gotten a chance to speak to the brunette since having been anchored back to her senses by the woman. And since Kahlan had requested to sit all the way by the door, they no longer sat beside each other in Mr. Tanner's class. Once the bell would ring, Kahlan would be out that door and gone in a second. The last thing Cara needed now was Blondes dictating her life.

"It's for the benefit of the school," said Cara. "A fundraiser for certain senior trips, certain senior activities. And we have permission."

"Yeah," said Gicko, plopping down on a bench to the side. "There's nothing you can do about it, Blondes."

"Most certainly not," agreed Hyper, moving to sit beside Gicko.

Cara looked to them both before returning her gaze back to the frowning Blondes. "It's for a decent cause, Blondes."

He uncharacteristically ran a hand through his dark hair. "But a car wash? Isn't there something more sophisticated you can do? More graceful perhaps?"

"I'm a Zombie Flamer, Blondes, not a dance instructor." Cara folded her arms across her chest. "And you don't get to dismiss a money-raising event simply because you don't like the way the money-raising is being proposed."

Blondes pouted. "It's not that. You must be aware of dark forces at all times. And washing cars leaves one too preoccupied. At least if dancing, you would be twirling in every viewable direction. "

Cara pointed a finger at him, "First of all, I don't twirl." Blondes as looked defiant as ever. Cara went on, "And, anyway, we can do that - be aware of our surroundings - and still have our lives."

Blondes still looked as though Cara had not proven her point.

Cara once again folded her arms. "We want to enjoy ourselves a little."

"Since when is washing cars to one's enjoyment?" challenged Blondes.

"It's about socializing with people our own age, and getting away from school. Do I have to remind you that you are a Youngster? In your own words, you _are a race of people who only age on up to that of thirteen. After that, you are thirteen forever. This is to provide the Flamer with youthful thoughts - objective against their ever cynical, aging mind._"

At that, Blondes sighed. _Cara has a damn good memory_. _How is it that she recited the words exactly as they were spoken?_ _It's been two weeks, and I only said it once. In that way, at least. _

Gicko and Hyper just shrugged, making themselves even more comfortable on the bench. "You see, Blondes? You can't win," stated Gicko.

"Yeah, you're letting that new, grown-up appearance of yours affect you," added Hyper. "What's the worst that can happen?"

IIII

In a bright yellow room, walls decorated with the latest pop stars, a dart hit a dart board on the door. The dart was in the center, and pretty soon another dart hit it, splitting the previous dart into two pieces.

IIII

At the car wash, a good number of seniors rubbed down cars as they either conversed happily or playfully went about throwing water on each other. Because the temperature was just right, just about everyone was scantily-clad. Most girls had on bikinis; others had on tight shorts and tight shirts. And all the guys had their shirts off, including Gicko, while wearing loose-fitting pants or shorts. Hyper had on an alluring, red two-piece bikini. How Cara loved red. And Cara wore a simple tank top and jeans. Tight jeans, albeit.

The two adult chaperones sitting in chairs by the huge shed didn't seem to care about the teenagers' under-dressed state. They looked bored, the female reading a newspaper, and the male watching a few pretty girls hose themselves down.

Gicko hungrily eyed those girls as well, before returning his attention to his friends. "I can't believe the school is letting us ditch for this," he said.

"Yeah, well, the school is cheap," shrugged Cara."They're willing to spend money when it means keeping their reputation intact - fancy building, fancy tools, investigation about a break-in - but when it comes to things the students want to do -"

"-Spend your own money," Hyper cut in with a giggle.

"Exactly," nodded Cara. "How much money do they expect us to make from this anyway? It's not like people are going to be offering up the big bucks just to wipe a windshield."

Gicko threw an arm around Cara's shoulders. "Well, if it means anything, I'm glad you convinced Blondes to back off. I know that socializing isn't your thing."

Hyper smiled. "That lie was great, wasn't it? With her anti-social tendencies, it's a wonder our Cara here is as popular as she is."

Cara grinned. "No, I'm really trying this 'get to know people' thing ."

Gicko and Hyper laughed and both replied sarcastically, "Sure you are."

Cara just smiled. Let them think what they wanted. The truth was, ever since Kahlan, getting to know people really didn't seem so bad anymore.

"Hey, friend," approached Becky, smacking loudly on some bubble gum. She looked from Cara to Gicko and Hyper. "I see you've ditched me for a new crew."

Cara laughed, gesturing toward her longtime companions. "Becky, this is Gicko and Hyp-"

"Oh, I know who they are," Becky eyed Gicko up and down. "Especially that one." She popped a bubble. "Seems the word around town...err school is that you're quite the ladies man."

Cara's and Hyper's eyes widened in surprise, and Gicko blushed furiously, as he retracted his arm from around Cara. He certainly didn't need rumors surfacing from that. "I'm not sure what you mean," he said.

Becky gave him the once-over again, her gray eyes flashing with confusion. "Neither am I."

Gicko frowned.

Cara and Hyper snickered. "Cara, it appears Gicko's left out some important details about himself," Hyper giggled.

Cara was trying to stifle her own laugh. "I would say."

Gicko turned his back to them all. In that way, he and Cara were very much alike - turning their backs to people when embarrassed or otherwise unsettled. "It's not that funny. I'm extremely good-looking."

Cara lost it then, bursting into laughter and nearly choking. Hyper pat her on the back, nearly choking herself. "Breathe. Breathe."

Gicko had already turned back to stare pointedly at the two, his hands on his hips. Becky was beyond amused and wanted to pat her own self on the back - an "A" for effort in humiliation.

Just then, a loud, red pickup truck pulled up, coming to a stop a good feet away. Cara froze, as her line of vision led the others to stare as well. There was Kahlan Amnell stepping out of the passenger side.

The world seemed to stop, and then restart. Cara's eyes temporarily locked into slow-motion as she watched blue high heels direct her gaze to long legs extending from the shortest pair of jean shorts she'd ever seen. From there, the tightest white shirt she'd ever seen came into her view, hugging the most delicious pair of breasts. She eyed Kahlan, as if trying to ask her, _Why? Why have you been avoiding me? And more importantly, don't you own a pair of tennis shoes?_

Kahlan's gaze had barely set on Cara when Big Bertha emerged from the driver's side of the truck, slammed the door behind her, and came to stand beside Kahlan. Cara suddenly hated red.

All the teenagers' eyes were on the two and giggles and whispers made their way through the crowd. A few catcalls were made in Kahlan's direction as well, the nearest jocks eyeing her like prey. But all of that was to be expected.

"Kahlan Amnell," sighed Gicko. He watched as the brunette and Big Bertha conversed by the truck.

Cara eyes remained on the two, but she found herself a little surprised by Gicko's acknowledgment of her mate. Kahlan was her secret, after all. "You know her?"

"Well, duh," Gicko rolled his eyes. "She's only the most popular girl in school."

Cara's head snapped around at Gicko. "Behind you, of course," he said sheepishly.

Cara turned back to view Kahlan still conversing with Big Bertha. Big Bertha leaned back on the truck, and Kahlan was even smiling at her. _Of course, everyone knows who Kahlan is, you idiot. You were partly responsible for her popularity. If you hadn't been so vile to her in the beginning, she would have never challenged her ability to rule the school._

"Cara, you act as though Kahlan is some big secret," mused Hyper.

"No, it's just because she hates that bitch," laughed Becky.

Before Cara knew it, she was walking to confront both Kahlan and Big Bertha.

"Oh boy," Becky whistled.

The three, along with all the other teenagers, watched with bated breaths as Cara moved toward the two. The chaperones couldn't care less, now both reading magazines.

"What, did you kidnap her?" Cara growled at Big Bertha.

Kahlan narrowed her eyes on Cara, and Big Bertha moved off the truck. "You talkin' to me?" she asked in a menacing pitch.

_You talkin' to me? What is this_, _Taxi Drive_r? Cara stepped closer to the woman, eyes blazing. The beast's huge arms were bulging from her tight, black tank top, veins seemingly pulsating there. _Sick._ And her equally dark, spandex shorts were tighter than Cara could tolerate. The large thigh muscles protruding from there only seemed punctuated by what Cara imagined was a cock between the other woman's legs. Cara couldn't help it, Big Bertha was incredibly manly. "Oh, I don't know, Big Bertha," she said in her most sarcastic tone. "Robert De Niro showing up any time soon?"

"Cara!" Kahlan spat out, just as Big Bertha was about to pounce on the blond. She held Big Bertha back with a hand, and her eyes then flashed a dangerous blue at Cara. "Bertha and I are here just like everyone else, and -"

"Bertha and you?" _Oh no_, Cara wasn't having any of that. She grabbed Kahlan as delicately as she could and pulled her off to the side, far enough away to provide them a little privacy. "Why have you been avoiding me? And why are you with her?"

Kahlan eased herself out of Cara's deadlock grip on her arm, and stared back at the Mord-Sith. "And why wouldn't I be?"

"I thought you said she wasn't your type." Cara eyed Big Bertha out of her peripheral vision.

"It's about taking a chance, Cara. That's what Bertha says."

Cara laughed bitterly. "So it is that beast's fault."

Kahlan burned her blue eyes into Cara's green ones. "She isn't a beast in the least." The brunette tried to keep her voice down.

Some of the teenagers had gone back to washing cars, but most kept their sights on the blond and brunette who looked like they wanted to kill each other.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Gicko nudged Hyper.

Becky answered for them. "Oh, she's totally telling her to go screw a pillow."

Gicko and Hyper stared blankly at Becky.

Becky shrugged. "What? That's what she told me once, when I asked her to do the moonwalk."

Kahlan glared angrily at Cara. "She's kind, thoughtful, funny. And she wants me."

_Ouch!_ Kahlan was trying to say Big Bertha is all the things Cara isn't - and then some. Cara knew it. "She's tricked you into dating her, Kahlan. Taking a chance? That's code for 'date.'"

"What do you think, I'm stupid, Cara? That I couldn't have possibly chosen to be with Bertha myself?"

Cara looked dumbfounded. She didn't mean to insult Kahlan's intelligence. The fire in those eyes made her wonder what kind of woman Kahlan Amnell had been in her past life, and what connection had they shared then. The only reason she hadn't asked Blondes about Confessors and Mord-Sith was because she feared what the boy/man might say - that she wouldn't like the person she used to be. "Kahlan..."

"And what is this, you get to be happy, but I don't?"

Those words were like a dagger to Cara's heart. The thought that Kahlan could be happy with Big Bertha tugged painfully at her insides, and she wanted to strangle the large woman. She looked over at Big Bertha to find the wilderbeast smiling her way, smug and all proud. Ugh. Could she hear them?

Cara turned back to Kahlan. "Why have you been avoiding me? Is this why - you and Big Bertha?"

Kahlan looked to the ground, moving away a few small rocks with her heel. "No. I thought it's what you wanted." She then looked back up at her mate, blue eyes as penetrating as ever.

_God, it does all sorts of crazy things to me when you pin me that way, Kahlan. _

"After we," Kahlan started, "in the forest... It was... And I thought it would be best that I gave you space and only helped out when you needed it."

Cara moved closer, eyes softening as she touched a gentle hand to Kahlan's shoulder. "Kahlan, that's not what I wanted." She bit on her bottom lip. "I didn't even get to thank you for..."

Kahlan studied Cara's face, and Cara looked down. After a few moments, she met the brunette's eyes once more. "Come to my house later? So we can talk?" asked the blond.

There was silence, and barely enough air between them. Not nearly enough.

Kahlan slowly nodded, agreeing to everything her mouth wouldn't say.

And then -

Cara was pulled into strong arms and swung around. "Hey, baby."

Kahlan watched as Bobby nibbled at Cara's ear and placed her back to her feet. The man was quite handsome, Kahlan had to give him that. Tall, with jet black hair, piercing blue eyes and a firm jawline. Cara smacked at his hands. "Bobby, not in front of everyone," she scolded. Her gaze then resettled on Kahlan's as Bobby said something about why he was late.

Kahlan looked swiftly to the side.

_Damn it!_ _Kahlan, I..._

Screams were heard coming from behind them.

Everyone turned to view two jocks clearly choking; this wasn't the type of choking that was derived from laughing to death, as Cara and Hyper had done earlier. This was serious.

The chaperones had rushed to the boys' sides, trying to stop their gagging with swift hits to the backs, while all the teenagers huddled around. _Fools._

Cara rushed to the boys, quickly pushing the male chaperone out of the way, then moving behind the boy she decided to tackle. She grabbed him around the waist, then looked across to Gicko and Hyper, who seemed to be comforting Becky. Becky never did good in situations that dealt with physically ill people. "Gicko, you still remember the Heimlich maneuver?"

That being enough for Gicko to know what Cara meant, he hurried to the other boy and pushed the female chaperone out of the way. Together, he and Cara performed the Heimlich maneuver on the boys, using their hands to exert pressure on the bottom of the diaphragm and compress the lungs to exert pressure on any object that may be lodged in the trachea, hopefully expelling it. But they soon saw that this was not working. The boys, side by side, started to react the same way, shaking wildly.

Cara and Gicko backed up to watch them cough up blood, and then they were coughing up something else - darts. Many different colored darts, the kind you use on dart boards. _What in the hell?_

The darts tore through the boys' throats, ripping through skin and making them gush out blood. Many girls screamed.

The boys' lifeless bodies fell to the ground, creating two pools of blood that bled into each other.

A clearly upset jock moved to stand over them. "Dillon. Michael."

Cara traded glances with Gicko and Hyper, and then looked back to view Kahlan, who narrowed her eyes on the dead bodies. Kahlan had witnessed the nasty with her this time.

IIII

At the playground, back at school, Cara sat on a bench in between Gicko and Hyper, and Blondes used his fingers to search through things on the holographic screen before them. The invisible force field was up and no one outside of it could see them or what they were up to. Cara hadn't wanted to leave Kahlan, not only because she felt Kahlan could probably help them out on this, but because they desperately needed to talk. Kahlan had it all wrong. And Bobby? Well, she had told him to meet up with her later. He was being a lot more understanding these days, which was good. And they had something planned that she didn't want to cancel.

Cara pursed her full lips together. "What the hell was that, Blondes? People coughing up darts? Somehow I doubt they decided to have a mouth full of darts for breakfast."

"So do I," said Blondes, raking his hands across the screen.

Hyper, having changed into a shirt and pants, was looking somber, in contrast to her usual upbeat self. She looked down at the ground. "I've never seen someone die before. I mean, other than the occasional zombie. Even with that dead jock back at the forest, I never saw it happen."

Gicko sighed. "I'm numb to it."

"Me too," said Hyper.

"Me three," echoed Cara.

Blondes moved his hands back and forth over the holographic screen, faster and faster, pulling up different pictures and texts. "Yes, that is the power of the jewels. They may shield you from the type of shock and other such feelings that would stifle normal humans. In another hour or so, the fact that someone died will no longer weigh heavy on your mind."

"Scary," replied Hyper.

"So if someone close to us dies, we won't mourn?" asked Gicko.

"No, the power of love often tops the power of magic in cases such as these. Sounds cheesy, but it's true."

Cara clasped her hands together in front of her. "What could cause something like this - the dart thing?"

"I'm not sure," responded Blondes. "But I suspect a spell of revenge of some sort. There is a myth that in the ancient times, certain tribes would use small haunting darts as a means of exacting vengeance on their enemies. Darts were preferred, as using blades, bows or other traditional killing items were said to provide more honor than their enemies deserved. Of course, the kind of darts used on the two boys isn't quite the same, but I cannot think of anything else." He ceased his search on the holographic screen.

"This must be what you meant about us battling other forces than zombies," cited Cara.

Blondes nodded.

Cara stood. "Maybe the jock who seemed upset by their deaths has some answers."

Gicko stood. "And the holographic research may provide further info. I'll help Blondes."

Hyper stood. "They were popular enough. I'm sure I can find some other details from around school."

Cara nodded. "Good. I have some things to attend to at home first. If I'm needed, you all know where to find me."

Blondes rubbed at his scruffy beard. "It may be best for you all to get some rest for today. We're not exactly sure what we're dealing with here. And this can all be tackled tomorrow."

IIII

Cara stood in her huge living room as her mother dusted the big blinds of the wide, rectangular window behind their television. It was best that the woman didn't know about the deaths at the car wash, at least not now. She would find out later on the news.

"So how's your job going?"

Her mother paused for a moment, then continued dusting. "The hours are hectic, and very off-putting. I mean, some days, I'm working from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon; other times, from seven at night to three in the morning. And then -"

"I know, ma. I meant any problems at work, stuff like that."

"Ugh, who knew Burger Barn could be so demanding? The manager is okay. But I think a few of my female co-workers don't like me very much. One's a dyke, I'm sure of it. "

Cara held back a giggle and shrugged. "Eh, they're just jealous." She moved closer to the older woman, and sighed. "Listen, ma. There's something I need to tell you."

Just then, the doorbell rung. _Damn it. Not now... Well, now's as perfect time as any._

"Who's that?" Ms. Pyro paused, looking toward the door.

Cara held up a finger. "I'll get it."

She hurried to the door, and swung it open to greet Bobby.

"Baby," he said, immediately embracing her, and looking over her shoulder at the older, gorgeous blond woman staring at him from across the room.

Cara backed up to give Bobby the once-over. While she was still dressed in her car wash attire, he was dressed to impress. His designer suit and shoes on, hair all slicked back, cologne strong but subtle at the same time. _He really is a stud_, Cara smiled. _And the jocks' deaths haven't even seemed to have affected him at all._ "Come," she pulled him inside and closed the door behind them.

Cara pulled her boyfriend to stand before her mother. The older blond straightened out her long, homely-looking dress and furrowed her brows at Cara. "Cara, what is this?"

Cara at first had the urge to say that this was the man who kept them from going broke. She couldn't count the many times Bobby had helped out with their money problems, such as appliances, bills and other such things, and of course transportation. Cara knew it was beyond time for her to get a job. "Ma, this is my boyfriend."

The doorbell rung again. Cara again held up a finger. "I'll get that." She smiled at them both. "You two just stay right there."

Cara opened the door to find Kahlan Amnell standing before her, still in her blue high heels, tight jean shorts, and tight, white shirt. But that tight white shirt was different now - Jesus, it was soaking wet, and Cara could see every aspect of Kahlan's luscious breasts. _Kill me now._

Cara tried to tear her gaze away from Kahlan's pink buds, but it was proving extremely difficult. When she finally did, she met Kahlan's eager gaze with an annoyed look. "Kahlan, what are you doing here? And what happened to your shirt?" She tried not to look back at those perky breasts.

Kahlan stared blankly. "You said to meet you here later. At the car wash, some idiot sprayed me with a hose right before I left. 'Wet, T-shirt contest,' he screamed. I suspect he was trying to cheer up the crowd."

"I suspect he was a pervert," Cara sighed. She ran a hand through her hair. "That was thirty minutes ago. You didn't think of changing?" It hadn't taken Cara long to get back to the playground with Blondes and crew, and not that much longer to get home. So Cara figured it had been about thirty minutes or so. She also figured Kahlan must have been hosed down in the chest area pretty good if she wasn't dry already."

"Should I have?" Kahlan answered, her face drawing into puzzlement.

Cara sighed. Then took hold of the other woman's arm, pulling her inside. Once she did, she shielded the brunette from her mother and Bobby's view, leading Kahlan toward the stairs. "Sorry, ma. We'll be right back, you two get acquainted."

Ms. Pyro and Bobby, as confused as ever, watched the girls ascend the stairs.

IIII

Cara pulled Kahlan inside of her room and shut the door. She stood there before the brunette, frustratedly raking two hands through her golden locks. "What were you thinking, showing up here like that?"

Kahlan arched a delicate eyebrow. "Was I supposed to change?"

"Yes, Kahlan! Yes, you were supposed to change! You can't just walk around, with your tits showing like that. Don't you have any sense of modesty? Or at least a bra?"

Kahlan smirked.

Cara's eyes went back to those amazing breasts. She imagined touching them, pressing up against them, her mouth on - Arggh! Cara turned her back to Kahlan, leaning two hands against the door. She was pretty sure she was hyperventilating against it. She had never seen a bare pair of nipples up close before. Not a female's anyway. Not even in locker rooms, as she had always kept her eyes diverted. But now Kahlan had shattered all that. And the thoughts she was having. The oh so naughty thoughts. _What is this? The pull?_

"Cara," came what seemed like the sexiest voice Cara had ever heard."I'll go if you want."

Cara strode across her room, to the big closet, instantly rummaging through the many outfits that hung there. Kahlan reluctantly followed after her. "Cara," she said again.

"There has to be something in here you can wear." Cara came across a tight, black dress, and imagined Kahlan in that, legs out. _No, no, no_, _that won't do_. She came across a see-through top and slick, beige pants. _No, no, no._ _That won't do either_. A scandalous bathing suit came into view. _Hell no! _Cara finally found something "very fitting" for Kahlan to wear - a long-sleeved flannel shirt and baggy pants, an outfit Cara had worn just last Halloween when dressing up as a trucker. The pieces were big enough to fit the taller woman.

Cara handed Kahlan the outfit without even looking at her, then kept her back to Kahlan. Kahlan slowly took the outfit, still eyeing Cara as she undressed.

Cara could feel those eyes boring into her back, and the ruffling of Kahlan's clothes certainly didn't help matters. She needed a distraction. "So why'd you come to my front door anyway? Why not my bedroom window and just wait here?" Cara almost forgot Kahlan didn't even need to climb up to her window; she could just teleport.

Kahlan pulled on the baggy pants. It was probably a good thing Cara wasn't looking, because she'd pass out when she saw Kahlan wasn't wearing any panties. "Oh...so I'm your dirty little secret now?"

There was humor in Kahlan's voice, and Cara wanted to scold her. What was funny to Kahlan was extremely difficult for her. She could not let her mind give into these thoughts about the raven-haired beauty. It was wrong. Her mother was right down stairs, for goodness sakes. And Bobby too.

"I waited for you," Kahlan admitted finally. "Outside your house, behind a few trees. When I saw Bobby come to your front door, I figured I might as well too." Kahlan shrugged, finishing up the buttons on her flannel shirt. "Mistake I guess." She straightened out her wear. "You can look now."

Cara turned around to see the brunette offering her the wet clothing. "Where do I put these?" inquired Kahlan.

"Just...on the bed."

Kahlan cocked her head. "Me on the bed or the clothes?" she grinned.

"Kahlan!" Cara tried not to blush.

"I was just kidding," said Kahlan, nearly tripping over her big pants as she moved to lie the clothes there.

Cara watched Kahlan near the bed, remembering the time they had spent there just two weeks ago. "Did you sleep with her?" She even surprised herself with the question.

Kahlan's back stiffened. Silence gripped the room. And then she turned to view Cara, blue eyes flashing. Ever so slowly, she moved over to the blond until they were standing face to face, only a few feet apart. "No."

"Do you want to?" Cara challenged, disregarding their close proximity.

Kahlan stepped even closer, just a step away from being flush against her mate. "No," she nearly purred.

Kahlan peered into those green eyes, trying to read everything that was there. "Did you sleep with Bobby?" she challenged back.

Cara eyed Kahlan's lips. "You would know if I had. The pull works in your favor that way, doesn't it? It's how you knew I was a virgin."

Kahlan eyed Cara's lips in turn. "Cara... I want to hear you say it."

Hearing Kahlan say her name that way - so breathy and so full of want - was threatening to drive Cara mad. "No... No, I didn't sleep with Bobby."

Cara watched Kahlan's lustful gaze on her lips. "Do you want to?" the brunette asked.

Cara tried not to focus on the beauty of Kahlan's hooded eyes. She needed to block it out.

Cara backed up, shaking her head as if to clear it. "We'll talk later. Right now, my mom and Bobby are waiting downstairs."

Cara strode toward the door, opening it, but then -

"Cara?"

Cara didn't turn back to look at her.

"It's been a very long time since I've experienced the intimate touch of another," Kahlan began. "So if Bertha asks me to, I will take her."

Cara's jaw set firm, and she moved out the door.

IIII

Moments later, Cara, Ms. Pyro, Kahlan and Bobby all sat in the living room. Cara and Bobby were sitting on the couch opposite Ms. Pyro and Kahlan, and it was the very picture of awkward. Cara knew she couldn't just have Kahlan leave without it seeming extremely odd, so she had decided it was best that Kahlan meet her mother and get it over with. She hoped to all that was holy that Bobby had the decency not to bring up the gay rumors circulating around about her mate.

"So...Bobby," Ms. Pyro started, placing the cup of coffee she had in her hand down on the table in front of them, "how did you and Cara meet?"

Kahlan crossed her legs, seemingly just as eager to hear this story, and Cara braced herself.

Bobby flashed a blinding smile. "Well. Ms. Pyro... It was close to four months ago now. Your daughter was leaning over a water fountain in the hall, her glorious lips taking in life's nutrients, and I thought to myself, 'What an amazing creature."

Ms. Pyro arched an eyebrow.

Kahlan looked as though she wanted to laugh.

_More like, 'I wonder if I can hit that,' _Cara thought of Bobby's first impression of her the day they'd met. He'd made it quite clear that sex had been on his mind that day. But she of course understood the need to spin such a story for parents.

"And to make a long story short," Cara cut in. "I found him attractive. He found me attractive. And we went on our very first date the next day."

"I see," Ms. Pyro said, as though she disapproved. She then gave Bobby the most predatory gaze he'd seen in his life. "Tell me about yourself. What makes you such a great fit for my daughter?"

Kahlan now folded her arms across her chest, a smirk gripping her features.

Cara slapped a hand over her face.

Bobby squirmed. "Well, I like cars. A lot, Ms. Pyro. And so does Cara. Oh, and we both like guns. And I-"

"Kahlan?" Ms. Pyro cut Bobby off, looking to the side at the dark-haired girl beside her. The brunette wasn't dressed like Cara's typical friends, but perhaps that was a good thing. "And what is it you find in common with my daughter? How did you meet?"

Bobby looked absolutely offended. _What is Kahlan Amnell doing here anyway? Doesn't Cara hate her? _

Kahlan met Cara's eyes, then turned back to her mate's mother. She wasn't sure if she should speak with the person who'd made Cara so uptight about having sex with women, but she'd try nevertheless. "Cara has a great passion for a great many things, Ms. Pyro. She can be introverted, but she speaks her mind with a fire that's rare. She thinks ahead, and is ready to take on the type of responsibility that most would shy away from. Duty is essential to her, as it is to me. That is why your daughter and I bonded, Ms. Pyro. We share...certain passions."

_Damn, she's good_. Ms. Pyro tried to hold back a pleased smile. _Certainly different from all of Cara's other friends who either mention partying or boys as the first explanation. That one girl, Hyper, though, had been nice. _Ms. Pyro had just become reacquainted with Hyper after four long years.

Cara rubbed nervously at the back of her neck.

Bobby looked angry.

"We met in class," Kahlan continued on, leaning an arm against the side of the couch to support her head as she turned to better view the older woman. "And Cara blew me away with her knowledge of physics. It's been some time since I met someone so clear on all the dynamics."

"Well," Ms. Pyro looked impressed.

But Kahlan wasn't done.

"And as for what else we have in common, cooking certainly isn't one of them," Kahlan mused. "Girl can't cook to save her life."

Ms. Pyro laughed. _So true! Cara always has to resort to microwavable food or ordering out when I'm not here._

Cara pinned Kahlan with an "I'm going to kill you" look. Kahlan saw it, but turned back to the woman beside her. "In fact, I was going to teach her how to make tuna casserole while I'm here."

Ms. Pyro's face lit up. "Oh. Would you teach me too? I've never been good at it."

Cara frowned. _I hate tuna casserole!_

"Of course," Kahlan replied.

"How about now?" Ms. Pyro stood, offering Kahlan a hand. "Come, come." Both women hurried off to the kitchen.

Cara threw her hands in the air exasperatedly.

Bobby pointed a finger toward the door they had retreated through. "Baby...did your mother just ditch me for Kahlan?"

All Cara could do was laugh. _That Kahlan Amnell._

"Don't worry about it." Cara turned to straddle Bobby to the couch, running her fingers through his brilliant black hair. "My mother may not like you...but I do."

Cara kissed Bobby hard. And as she pulled back to stare into those blue eyes, there were another pair of blue eyes raging through her mind, promising to sear her soul.

Perhaps those blue eyes already had.


	6. PART 2 OF EPISODE 2

**Scene summary:** After the seniors try to raise money for certain school activities, and Cara and Kahlan discuss Kahlan's recent whereabouts in the time since their previous big battle, the gang come up against a strange, new force. Kahlan's meeting with Cara's mom has Kahlan psyched for her future with Cara, and the brunette soon discovers more about why Cara is the way she is. Cara is finding it difficult to fight her growing attraction to the dark-haired beauty.

** Note: The museum pictures are available in the livejournal version of this part, through links, if interested in what the art looks like. You can also Google, of course. And remember to review; it helps with the updating process. **

IIII

Outside, Cara sat in a chair on the porch of her backyard. The sky was blue and nice. The trees overhanging her fence were tall and nice. The houses seen in between those trees were well-built and nice. Hell, even the dirt beneath her feet was nice. What wasn't nice was how she'd gotten rid of Bobby with the excuse that it would only make things worse between her and her mother. What wasn't nice was the sudden rush of kinky thoughts she was having about Kahlan. The truth was...she wanted to be alone to sort out these thoughts, as well as let the fantasies take her. Kahlan was still in the kitchen with her mother, and Cara just couldn't bring herself to think these things while in the same vicinity as the stunning brunette.

Cara kicked some dirt with her foot. _I wonder what it would be like to have sex with Kahlan_. Would _it hurt at first? Like it is expected to hurt with Bobby? Would I be the dominant one? Would Kahlan? Would we both be dominant - like two lionesses battling for higher ground? How far would I have to - And would Kahlan like it if I tweaked her -_

Cara shook her head furiously. _What in the hell are you thinking? _

"It's official: Your mom loves me," said Kahlan, emerging from the doorway with two cold drinks in her hand.

Cara didn't look at her.

Kahlan moved to sit down beside the blond. "So when should we set the wedding date?" smiled Kahlan.

Her eyes on the ground, Cara reached over and took one of the drinks from Kahlan's hand. It was a lime brand soft drink and felt good going down her throat as she tried to get her raging hormones under control. _I hate being a damn teenager,_ she frowned. She didn't know how Kahlan dealt with this same hormonal crap year after year. But then again, at 18, they were both done with puberty. So this was likely something other than just "teenage feelings."

Kahlan studied Cara's features. "I've upset you," she spoke softly.

"A little," replied Cara.

There was silence.

"More than a little," she admitted.

Kahlan put her drink down on the table behind them, furrowing her brows together as she watched the woman she adored. "Cara, I didn't mean to lie to your mother - the tuna casserole bit. I was only trying to find some common interests with her, other than you. The things I said about sharing the same passions with you and being impressed by your brilliance - that was true."

Cara sighed. "Is sex the only reason you want me, Kahlan? Sex and duty?"

Kahlan's face fell as she watched the blond continue to stare at the dirt, seemingly lost in her own head. _How can Cara think that? How can she not know how much just hearing her laugh warms my heart? _Kahlan groaned at the reality of it all._ Well, it might be because you've been all about sex with her. Sex and duty_._  
_  
Kahlan swiftly moved from her chair and knelt before Cara. "Cara... Cara, look at me."

Cara reluctantly did, gripping the soda can just a little bit tighter. "It's true that I would love to feel you naked beneath me, open to me, wanting me, aching for me," Kahlan continued. "I don't want anyone else but you in that way. It's unbelievably true. But, Cara...when I say I want you, I mean all of you - your mind, your body...and your soul. I've been so lonely, so isolated, and I have never felt as connected with any other lover as I do with you. And considering we haven't even known the pleasures of each other's bodies yet, that is saying something. I want a life with you, Cara. The happy times, as well as the bad, the sexy times, as well as the not-so-sexy." Kahlan grinned, placing her hands on Cara's knees.

Cara's eyes flickered, as she stared down into Kahlan's hopeful ones. "How can you say all of this? You don't even know me. And I don't know you."

Kahlan grinned wider. "Except we do." She placed a gentle hand over Cara's heart. "Here. We've known each other long before this lifetime. Back when you were simply the Mord-Sith Cara Mason...and I the Mother Confessor. Our personalities are a little different, I'm sure of it. And the connection we share has extended beyond what it was then, I'm sure of that as well. But we are still just Cara and Kahlan. I only just studied how to make tuna casserole a week ago, and had no idea that it would fit so perfectly in the discussion with your mother, but today...when talking with her, it just felt so right, like I just knew she would respond positively to that. And your cooking? Something in me clicked - telling me that you weren't the best cook. Maybe you were in your previous life, but certainly not in this one." Kahlan laughed. "I don't know why we were chosen to be in this new world, and not the Seeker or even the wizard, but I'm glad it's just us. I feel tied to you in the most profound way." She paused, letting her words sink in. "You feel this deeper connection too, don't you?"

Cara slowly removed Kahlan's hand from over hear heart, and intertwined their fingers. She knew the implications of such an intimate touch, but she couldn't help it. It felt so good to touch Kahlan. "I do." Cara's eyes danced between those intertwined fingers and Kahlan's gaze. "That is why I need you to help me fight this."

She placed her drink down and stood, moving away from Kahlan and by the door. Her back to the other woman, she looked up to the sky.

Kahlan remained kneeling where she was, trying her best not to let the sorrow and utter disappointment show on her face.

"You wanna know why my mother hates gays so much, Kahlan?... It's kinda funny, really. Kids and their rivalries." Cara paused for a brief moment, then went on... "Back in high school, my ma almost lost my father to 'a gay.' Not another man, mind you, but a woman. Both girls were vying for his attention. My ma was trying to get him back, trying to explain to him that having a kid didn't have to mean the end of their relationship. The other girl did everything she could to keep my parents apart - spreading rumors about my ma, about what a slut she was, sending her popular crew to beat my ma down in alleyways, servicing my dad with any sexual favors he so desired. And in the end, it all turned out to be for naught. The girl came out as a lesbian at the end of the school year, openly admitting that she'd only used my father as a beard - someone to hide her sexual orientation behind."

Kahlan turned to stare at Cara's back, and Cara lowered her head.

"My ma used to go on and on about how gays, especially dykes, were deceitful people. Hurtful people who cared for nothing but themselves. She was that bitter. While she was in ninth grade, and my dad was in the twelfth, I was three going on four. I think my earliest memory is of hearing her say how sick gay people are. I must have been four, sitting at the kitchen table beside Gicko. Gicko was busy slinging mash potatoes at my face...bopping me in the head and stuff." Cara chuckled. "Sometimes, it seems like a dream. Other times, it's as clear as day. I didn't even know what gay meant. But I sure learned in the years following. It was bad enough my ma had already grown up in a homophobic home, before coming to live under Gicko's roof, but her hatred for that one girl tipped the scale."

Cara turned to view Kahlan, and Kahlan stood. "My ma has always thought of my dad as her true love, even after he beat her senseless during the years we were all living together," Cara shook her head with both disbelief and disapproval. "How they hid the beatings from me, I don't know. But sometimes it feels as though my ma's love for my dad is all she has left. All that's holding her together. I can't have one of the worst times of her life dredged up again, thrown in her face day after day, by being with you, Kahlan. And even if we kept it a secret, I would still feel guilty about it. You have to understand that my ma is all I have in this world."

Kahlan stood there, seeing Cara in a whole new light. _Cara would deny herself happiness, herself the desires her body so desperately craved...all just to uphold her mother's twisted beliefs. _Well_, _Kahlan would not just stand here and let it happen. She would not let her mate throw away their future, not for this type of silliness. She moved forward, until she was facing the blond. "Cara, you are not alone. You have your friends...and you have me." She stroked the side of Cara's face with as much feeling as she could emit, and Cara leaned into the touch. Kahlan could see the tears welling up in those beautiful sea-green eyes.

"You have to help me fight this, Kahlan." Her eyes bore into Kahlan's with a deep and overwhelming need; a single tear rolled down the tan cheek beneath it. "I don't want to be gay. I don't want to be bi. Even dying would be better than this."

Cara wanted to run._ Damn it_, she never let herself be this vulnerable with anyone. Not even her mother had seen her cry in years. But she needed to let Kahlan know, know that even though she desired the brunette like no other, she couldn't have her. Wouldn't have her.

Kahlan nodded. "I will help you, Cara."

And it was the truth. Kahlan would help Cara, just not in the way Cara requested. She would help the blond see what a life with her could/would be like. How happy. How freeing. She pulled Cara close into her, and they were gone in the blink of an eye.

IIII

Kahlan stood behind Cara, shielding her eyes.

"Kahlan, where are we?"

"Just a moment." She directed Cara just a little more to the center, then released her hands from around the other woman's eyes.

Cara's mouth dropped open in pure astonishment. Before them was the most magnificent piece of architecture Cara had ever seen. The place was gigantic, entrances leading out to courtyards and terraces, light shining down from a huge clear, dome and high side windows. Subterranean corridors that facilitated the moving of artwork and other use of stone - beige-colored, cleft-cut, textured, fossilized travertine - caught the bright Southern California daylight, reflecting sharply and emitting a honeyed warmth. Stone walls expressed permanence, solidity, simplicity, warmth, and craftsmanship.

"The Getty Center," Kahlan beamed from behind Cara. "California has a lot of amazing art museums, but this is one of its best, offering an outstanding collection of classic and modern art and photography with stunning architecture and one of the best views in town."

Cara was still taking in the breathtaking sight. "That's right. You like art," she said. "I could tell from all the paintings hanging from your walls."

"Yes," replied Kahlan. "I figured the best way to help...is for you to get to know more about me. To bond with me. If you want the pull to be platonic, what better way to go about achieving that, then spending more time together? This way, you'll see how boring I truly am," grinned Kahlan. She only half meant it, of course. She wanted to spend more time with Cara, sure, but certainly not so that their bond could become platonic.

Cara spun around to Kahlan, smiling wide, tears no longer present. "This is amazing!"

"You should see the view from outside." Kahlan smiled back.

IIII

Outside, sat the hilltop site in the Santa Monica Mountains, just off the San Diego Freeway. From there, could be seen the prominent features of the Los Angeles landscape - the Pacific Ocean, the San Gabriel Mountains, the vast street-grid of the city. _When approached from the south, the modernist complex appears almost to grow from the 110-acre hillside. Two three-car, computer-operated trams ferry visitors from a street-level parking facility to the hilltop site. The campus, clad largely in cleft-cut, Italian travertine, is organized around a central arrival plaza, and offers framed panoramic views of the city._

IIII

In one of the many art galleries, Kahlan wrapped her arms around Cara's middle as she stood behind her and pulled the other woman close. She knew that such a touch was extremely intimate, and probably betrayed her motives, but she couldn't seem to keep her hands off of the blond when away and alone like this.

They weren't exactly alone, though. Other visitors didn't know what to make of the two - one girl in baggy pants and a flannel shirt, holding another in jeans and a tank top. Surprisingly, Cara didn't seem to mind. Instead, she focused on the vase in front of them, titled Boy Reading a Scroll. **  
**  
"What's so interesting about this?" Cara made a most displeased face.

Kahlan looked over the Mord-Sith's shoulder, and tried to hold back a giggle at what she imagined was the most adorably confused face ever. "It's one of my favorites because it reminds me of school and poems. I've always been quite smitten with learning, and, in this time, schoolboys were made to memorize the works of great poets, especially Homer, as moral instruction."

"Next time we're in class, just snap a picture of someone leaning over a desk. That way, you can save yourself the trip."

Kahlan chuckled and hugged her mate closer. "Then I wouldn't be here with you, now would I?"

Cara's body stiffened. Kahlan felt it, but still...Cara didn't break contact.

"This piece is from Greek, Athens, 470 - 450 B.C." Cara pursed her lips together. "God, I hope you aren't that old," she teased.

Kahlan poked the blond for this. "No, I'm not that old. Thank you very much. But what if I was, would you like me any less?" The question reflected a level of insecurity, certainly not what Kahlan had intended to convey.

Cara tried to look over her shoulder at the brunette, a smile stretching across her lips. "What makes you think I like you now?"

"Because," Kahlan breathed into the blond's neck, "you wouldn't let me hold you like this if otherwise."

At that, Cara moved away and further ahead. "Hey, let's look at some of the other stuff," she said.

IIII

Later, Cara and Kahlan stood side by side in front of another piece.

"This is one of my other favorites," stated Kahlan. "It's called 'Miss Thomson of St. Andrews.' In a time long ago, I often looked that way when going over documents. It's a nostalgic type of feeling every time I look at this photograph."

Cara scrunched up her nose. "Nah."

"Nah, what?" asked Kahlan.

"Nah, you couldn't have looked that way."

Kahlan tapped her foot against the floor impatiently. "And why not?"

Cara loved teasing the other woman. "Because you look much better."

She walked off, leaving Kahlan to stare wonderingly after her.

IIII

Outside**, **they looked at the Night statue. "Now this is my type of art," smirked Cara.

The statue was nude, undermined by the marked absence of a head and neck, arms and feet. It was black and seemed to convey a deep sense of sorrow. "Figures," remarked Kahlan.**  
**  
Cara held up a museum booklet in her hand, in front of Kahlan. It says here it was sculpted by Saul Baizerman. He described what drives it: _Night is not merely sleeping and perhaps dreaming, for sleep is an approach to death. The body in sleep sinks under its own weight. My night is conceived as a state of creativeness. It is the period when subconsciously the human joins with nature's forces, and lives as a tree, a flower, or an insect._"

Cara lowered the book and eyed the statue again. "Quite poetic."

Kahlan couldn't adequately describe the joy filling her heart from just watching Cara enjoy herself and discover new things. "Yes, it is," she remarked.

IIII

Back inside, they looked at the Landscape with the Castle of Massa di Carrara painting. It depicted a medieval castle standing on a hilltop overlooking small buildings, ruins, and olive and cypress trees, on the northwest coast of Italy.

"During the worst times, just looking at this would bring me extreme calm," stated Kahlan. "I used to wish I was off in a far away land, a queen in my own castle and with my own people." Her eyes momentarily flickered with something more. "The only thing missing...was someone to share it all with." **  
**  
Cara looked at the brunette beside her, the sadness in those beautiful blue eyes. It was the same sadness Cara was sure she'd caused Kahlan when she suggested they only be experiments to each other. Wanting to take such ache, such emptiness, away...Cara reached a hand out to the other woman's cheek and stroked softly. "I'm sorry for whatever pain you've had to endure, Kahlan."

Kahlan looked into those amazing green 'pools,' seeing the sincerity there, and covered the blond's hand with her own. "Thank you, Cara... Thank you."

IIII

At the Getty Center _Café_, at one of the outdoor dining areas, Cara and Kahlan sat at a table; Cara at one end, Kahlan at the other.

The extensive menu included sandwiches, soups, salads, pizzas and pastas, tacos and burritos, grilled items, fish and sushi. Cara ordered pizza, and Kahlan ordered sushi. Wine and beer were also available, but neither would be ordering that. Water or soda would have to suffice.

"You've never had sushi before?" inquired Kahlan.

"No, and I don't want to," grimaced Cara.

"Oh, c'omn, live a little," Kahlan chuckled.

"Me live a little? What about you? You, who has never had pizza?" Kahlan looked up at the blond, surprised. Cara nodded. "Yeah, I saw the way your pretty little eyebrows furrowed together when I ordered it. Don't even bothy denying."

Kahlan smiled, looking down at the table.

"But you know... It makes sense, considering how you always vanish during lunch. Otherwise, you would have had school pizza by now too...which isn't very good, by the way." Cara played with one of the rolls in the basket in front of them. "The only time I ever saw you at lunch was when Big Bertha proposed marriage."

Kahan laughed, eyeing the blond with her most pointed stare. "She did not propose marriage."

"Pretty damn close," Cara said through gritted teeth.

Kahlan sighed. "Okay, I tell you what - how about I try some of your pizza, and you try some of my sushi?"

"I don't want to." Cara pouted.

"Stop being a baby."

"Maybe I'd consider it if you'd stop wearing such tight tops and short skirts."

Kahlan looked down at her attire, and smirked. She knew all too well what such outfits did to Cara's psyche. But right now, Cara was safe. Unless she had a thing for frumpy-wear, that was. "You would have me wear flannel shirts and baggy pants all the time, just to please your modest sensibilities?" she looked back up at the other woman.

"Yup."

Kahlan laughed. "Well, forget it. You either taste my food freely, or you don't at all."

"How did you suddenly get money anyway? I'd rather pay."

Kahlan waved a hand in front of Cara's face. "Teleportation, remember? I can also summon things - personal things - when I want."

"That's not fair," Cara frowned.

"And you most certainly are not paying. So don't even think about asking me to summon your purse."

_Damn! How'd she know I was going to ask that?_ Cara rolled her eyes and sat back._ I hardly carry a purse anyway. _

IIII

Once the waiter had returned with their food and left, Cara tried some sushi. "Crap," she had said. So Kahlan tried some of Cara's pizza and uttered "crap" right back. Kahlan didn't really think of it as crap, however, and once Cara had excused herself to the bathroom, Kahlan wolfed the whole thing down.

"Where'd my pizza go?" Cara had screamed.

"I offered it to a homeless man," Kahlan looked off to the side.

Cara didn't buy that for a second. _What a lame-ass explanation for my lost chow._ For one, what in the hell would a homeless man be doing here?

But because it was Kahlan, Cara let it go.

IIII

They arrived a little after 7:00 PM, on Cara's front doorstep. They had looked at many more paintings and sculptures, and later talked about silly little things on a park bench. And now their arms were around each other's waists. Kahlan felt she should back up before Cara had a panic attack.

Kahlan moved back a couple of steps, diverting her eyes toward the cement. When Cara cleared her throat, Kahlan looked back up at the other woman and saw the question dangling there before them. She decided to soothe the Mord-Sith's fears. "It wasn't a date. You can breathe now."

Cara let out the biggest sigh of relief Kahlan had ever heard, and Kahlan was tempted to mock the blond for it, but thought better of it this time. "Feel easier now? Being around me?"she asked.

Cara reluctantly nodded. "Yes." _It feels a lot better, actually. _Cara was no longer thinking of throwing the raven-haired beauty to the ground for kinky matters every other second. There was another layer there now, bridging the gap between lust and the unknown.

Kahlan suspected as much.

The porch light came on.

Kahlan smiled shyly. "That's my cue."

She turned, and started to walk away.

"Hey, Kahlan?"

Kahlan, a little ways off into the yard, turned back to view her mate. "Yes, Cara?"

Cara looked as though she was struggling for the right words, then finally said it: "Thank you."

Kahlan grinned, knowing the "thank you" meant not only for today but for their first anchoring exchange. She looked up to the night sky, then back to her would-be lover. "Just remember, Cara... I'll be your dirty little secret any time."

And just like that, Kahlan vanished, leaving Cara completely flabbergasted and blushing like crazy. _She... Mine? Wha? Dirty secret?_

The front door came open. "Cara, who was that you were talking to?" asked Ms. Pyro standing in the doorway.

"Kahlan, ma."

Ms. Pyro smiled. "Ah, Kahlan. What a nice girl."

Cara continued staring at the spot Kahlan had vanished in. "Yes, she is." Blue eyes and dark hair stayed with her, and something nagged at the back of her mind.

Cara rushed past her mother, and up the stairs.

"Cara! Cara, what's wrong?"

IIII

Cara burst into her bedroom, immediately eyeing Kahlan's clothes on her bed, which brought to mind beautiful breasts. But that was the least of her worries right now.

She flipped on the light, and ran to her closet, instantly pulling out the shoe box of pictures she always kept on the left side. This was the box containing all her past loves - all male, of course. Cara's eyes went wide with disbelief as she went through each and every photo, until it finally ended with Bobby. "All dark-haired and blue-eyed... God, Kahlan. Could I have been trying to substitute you all along?"

IIII

Kahlan had arrived home some time ago, but had stayed outside for a bit longer, looking up at the stars.

She came in through her front door, smiling wide. Cara likely wouldn't think of it as a date, but she certainly would. As she looked up at the paintings on her walls, she realized she would cherish this day forever. She was on cloud nine. Being with Cara had felt so unbelievably right.

She was just about to unbutton her flannel shirt when a big brown envelope in front of the doorway hit her feet. She closed the door and picked up the package. It read: To Kahlan, from Asher.

Kahlan smiled. Asher was the Youngster who'd told her of her new destiny. Her destiny with Cara. She ripped open the package to find a note and several tiny, flat block, glass-like objects. Kahlan unfolded the note and read it eagerly:

_Hey, kid. It's me again. As you requested, here are the visuals for  
Richard Cypher, Kahlan Amnell of the past, Cara Mason of the past,  
and Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander. You remember how the viewing system works,  
right? Just place the slides in front of the screen, say those two little words,  
and it should start displaying that ancient history for you in no time. See?  
I really wasn't joking about all of life being recorded at every moment. Time  
travel's possible, isn't it? Okay, okay, I don't have that ability. Just saying... Anyway,  
I've especially included the scenes you wanted more than anything.  
No nudie or sex shots, though. If you want to see that, then you're going to have  
to bed her yourself._

_Until next time._

_-Asher-_

Kahlan giggled_, _then moved over to a desk, dumping, the glass blocks there, as well as the note. "Holographic screen on," she said. In another second, a screen popped up before her.

She glanced over the several blocks, seeing the labels. She rubbed a hand over the one titled "Kahlan Amnell," then the one titled "Cara Mason."

When she got to the one titled, "Richard and Kahlan," she put it aside in favor of the one titled "Cara and Kahlan."

Not able to fight back a grin, Kahlan held the favored block up in front of the screen. "Show me," she said.

The screen immediately displayed a blond Mord-Sith being yanked up by her red leathers outside, by a bearded man. _That must be Richard Cypher. And, god, Cara, what happened to your face? _The blond didn't look much older than now, but she was battered and bruised. To the side of the two, Kahlan saw herself - the Mother Confessor, dressed in all white.

Kahlan's mouth opened in pure awe.

"If any girls were taken, my sisters must have done it...after they beat me and left me to die," stated the Mord-Sith.

The Mother Confessor moved forward. "I'll get the truth out of her."

_The truth? You mean Confession?_

_No, no, no._ Angered by the prospect of anyone doing harm to Cara, even herself, Kahlan fast-forwarded. She didn't need to see that, not now.

_How is it, that as an immortal, I wasn't aware of so much of this? Confessors? Mord-Sith? Flamers?_

She paused on a different scene:

"Richard...maybe this was their plan all along," stated the Mother Confessor. "Lure you into an ambush because they knew you would do anything to save the children."

"Yes," came Cara's sarcastic reply. The Mother Confessor looked behind herself, at the blond. The Mord-Sith continued on, "The Seeker's kind-heartedness is legendary."

The Mother Confessor and Mord-Sith exchanged heated glares.

Kahlan just smiled, then skipped to another scene:

"I don't know exactly what you did to make Richard trust you." The Mother Confessor gripped the Mord-Sith by the neck. "But if this is some sort of trick, I will kill you."

IIII

Later, Kahlan rested back on the large bed in her room watching more of her time with Cara, how they'd built a relationship all those years ago and what it had meant then:

The Mother Confessor sat outside on a log, the Sword of Truth in her hands, as she looked down at it with clear longing.

The Mord-Sith approached. "Something wrong?"

"I miss Richard," replied the Mother Confessor with a shake of her head.

"Why?"

The Mother Confessor looked up at the Mord-Sith, bewilderment plaguing her features. She wiped at the tears stinging her cheeks. "Because I love him... I'm not used to being apart from him."

The Mord-Sith looked even more confused than before. "It's not necessary to feel pain over his absence."

The Mother Confessor sighed, looking up at her blond companion. "Don't you feel anything?"

Kahlan paused on the scene, staring at the lost look on the Mord-Sith's face. "Oh, Cara. Even then you were trying to close yourself off." Kahlan looked up at the ceiling. "Yes...I think I know you a little better now." She inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Thank you, Asher."

IIII

The next day, in the school's senior parking lot, a sandy, brown-haired boy ran with a complicated-looking science project in his hand. It looked like a metal heap, one long sharp edge extending from its side, and as he passed by one car in particular, it scraped the side of it.

The brown-haired boy halted and looked back at the long scratch now present on the brilliant-looking sports car. "Oh, crap," he said.

A few people behind him gave him "uh-oh" stares.

Feeling the intensity of it all, the boy hurriedly ran along.

IIII

In the school's commons area, Cara tried to shake the thoughts of her non-date with Kahlan from her mind. She had a job to do at the moment, after all. And was stressed enough after having convinced her mother that despite the recent deaths at school, it was safe to attend.

She came upon the boy who'd seemed most distraught over the two jocks deaths at the car wash. His name was Derrick Adams, and he agreed to meet with her at this very location before first period class.

A few kids socialized against walls, while Derrick sat on a waiting bench looking at a picture of a young boy; the child looked happy and was posing beside a video game system, one thumb up. "My kid brother," Derrick explained to Cara, who peered down at him from behind. "He loved Dillon and Michael."

"The two boys from the car wash?" Cara sat down beside Derrick.

"They came over one day and ended up challenging him to a game of 'Make Your Own Destiny' - this new RPG game that's had all the kids talking."

Cara nodded. She wasn't sure of the last time she'd played video games... But she used to consider it a hobby.

"You see, even though he's only ten, my brother has mad video gaming skills," stated Derrick. "Dillon and Michael were impressed by him so much that pretty soon they were coming over everyday, not for me, but for my little brother. All three were like the best of buds from there on out."

Cara took this time to assess Derick. He was a skinny fellow, in a regular T-shirt and jeans, and bright red tennis shoes. He had sandy brown hair, and his eyes gave off one killer, badass vibe, but other than that...he looked harmless.

"And how long ago was that?" Cara asked, trying to push back the sudden sense of foreboding that was filtering through the air.

"They bonded for about two months." Derrick sighed, then looked at the floor. "Look, I know you want to know more about Dillon and Michael, but the truth is...I didn't know much about them. We were supposed to study together the first day they came over. School assignment. But after they befriended my brother, they would come over and sit on the couch with him, and do nothing but play video games. I watched from the kitchen table, and pretty much wasn't welcomed." Derrick frowned. "My brother didn't want me there. I never was as good at gaming as him. Dillon and Michael were more like his brothers than me," Derrick spat out.

Cara narrowed her eyes. "Just because he enjoyed the company of this...Dillon and Michael, it doesn't mean he thought of you as any less a brother."

"You don't understand!" Derrick screamed as he sprung to his feet. He glared down at Cara as though she were Satan.

A few people in the area looked their way.

"Dillon and Michael took my brother from me! The only reason I even care about their deaths is because of the impact I know it will have on him."

And with that, Derrick grabbed his backpack from the floor and marched off.

Cara watched him retreat, deep in thought about whatever the hell had just transpired.

IIII

Later, in another corridor, after first period, Cara met up with Gicko.

"And so you didn't find out anything suspicious about the two jocks?"

"Nope," replied Gicko. "Typical football players. Well-liked and all that. "

"Hmm," Cara rubbed her chin. "Something just isn't adding up here."

"Agreed."

They continued on down the corridor

IIII

In the senior parking lot by his car, Bobby approached Derrick.

"You asked for me?" Derrick inquired, backup slung over his shoulder.

"You messed up my ride," sneered Bobby, pushing Derrick back into it.

A group of seniors off to the side "oohed."

"Beat his ass, Bobby," yelled one boy.

Derrick looked over his shoulder at the vehicle, seeing the long scratch on the front side. "Eh, man. I was going to talk to you about it, try and work something out."

Bobby grabbed the scrawny kid by the shirt and slammed him into the car door. He raised his fist, contemplating whether or not to bust the chomp's ass. "We can work something out alright."

His friends cheered him on.

But then...Bobby lowered his fist. Smiling wide, he straightened out the boy's shirt. "I'll just take it out of your paycheck."

"But I don't have a job," Derrick pleaded.

Bobby smirked. "Should of thought of that before you were so careless."

"I have a spare -"

"As if any spare part you own would be good enough for this baby." Bobby patted the hood of his car, then eyed Derrick up and down. "Just look at you. You can't even afford a decent T-shirt," he said, eyeing the "Jesus loves everyone" shirt the boy had on.

The others laughed.

Bobby backed up, joining his crew. "We'll keep in touch." He then walked off, chuckling amongst his friends.

Derrick frowned.

He then twitched.

IIII

On one of the outside walkways, Gicko and Hyper walked side by side. Hyper wondered why Gicko was always following her these days. They had always been close, but never this damn close. He was showing up at her house every night "just to talk," calling her every night "just to talk" and stalking her everyday-slash-every other night "just to talk." She'd never considered Gicko a stalker before, but right now, he was looking at her like he wanted to kidnap her and make her his personal sex slave. Wait, a personal sex slave for Gicko? Hmm. She hadn't thought about that since they were 15, back when she had the biggest crush on him. She'd had a crush on him since they were 14, actually, and she was pretty sure Cara had noticed, but Gicko had been oblivious to the fact. Now that she was 17, and Cara and Gicko 18, she would not let such childish infatuations take hold of her again. She would soon be 18 as well, after all. If Gicko wanted her now, which she was quite certain he did not, no matter his recent stalker tendencies, it was simply too late. She would be Cara's. Yes, someday she would work up the courage to tell Cara how she felt. Cara was a bit homophobic... Okay, extremely homophobic, but they could work around that. They had years of friendship to rely on. To help them through the awkwardness. Unless...their years of friendship was a part of the awkwardness. She hoped to God that Cara didn't think of her as a sister. And just to make sure everything worked out alright, she hadn't been suffocating Cara with her presence since their reunion. She felt the best approach was absence. _Absence makes the heart grow fonder_, she smirked.

"So, what were you saying?" she asked Gicko.

"Just that I talked to Cara about the jocks - Michael and Dillon - nothing out of the ordinary."

Hyper pushed the glasses back up on her face. "Something isn't adding up."

Gicko grinned. "That's what Cara and I said. But it turns out there is something strange about this Derrick guy."

IIII

In a bright yellow room, walls decorated with the latest pop stars, a dart hit a dart board on the door. The dart was in the center, as well as a photo beneath it, and pretty soon another dart hit it, splitting the previous dart into two pieces. Visible electric-like waves emerged from all sides of that dart and shredded the picture posted to the board beneath it - a picture of Bobby Alderson.

**ACT 2**

The next morning, Cara sat in her living room flipping through the television. It was almost time to head off to school, and she was trying to find anything that would take her mind off of the fun she'd had with Kahlan the other day. She needed to forget it, but this was not an easy task. Kahlan had eyed her provocatively in class the following morning, and that was made even more intense by the fact that the brunette had reclaimed her original seat - right next to Cara.

Cara came upon a cartoon, and tried to laugh at the tiny ant lifting a stubborn cat. But it was hopeless. Cats reminded her of Kahlan. Kittens especially. Going somewhere else, far away from this town, had been more freeing than Cara had ever imagined. And she was embarrassingly hungry for more of it. _Perhaps being with Kahlan wouldn't be so bad after all? Perhaps I should take her up on the "dirty little secret" offer_?

"That dyke was definitely looking me up and down yesterday," said her mother descending the stairs.

_On second thought_, sighed Cara.

"She definitely wants my body," her mother continued.

Cara cringed, instantly standing to view the older woman. "Ew, mom, that's not a mental picture I need in my head."

Ms. Pyro chuckled, moving before her daughter. "Me neither." She looked down at herself, shaking her head in shame at the yellow sun dress she was wearing. "My body hasn't been the same since my teen years. Gotta hide it behind stuff like this these days."

Cara looked at her mother as though she were insane. "Ma, you look fine. Most guys at my school would trip over themselves just to get near you. And, besides, your figure isn't suppose to be the same as it was in your teen years."

Her mother smirked. "Some people keep the same body they had at 18 at 29...just not me."

Cara shook her head, grabbing her books from the table. "I've too many insecure women in my life lately. Becky worries her breasts are too small. Hyper worries her breasts are too big. And you..." Cara started to head for the door.

"And Kahlan?" The question felt like a bullet to Cara's back. "She doesn't seem like the insecure type to me."

Cara looked back at her mother. "You're right, ma. Not Kahlan." She then turned and left.

IIII

At school, in the hall near the lockers, Bobby approached Hyper, smiling wide. Gicko was beside her, and certainly didn't appreciate the grin Bobby tossed his love's way.

"Hyper," said Bobby, watching the blonde shut her locker door and turn to him, arms clasping books to her chest.

Hyper rolled her eyes at the dark-haired pest. "Do we need to get a restraining order against you? You hate us, we hate you. Is it really that hard to follow one simple rule? Which is...stay the hell out of our orbit!"

Gicko grinned and leaned back against the lockers, folding his arms.

Bobby pouted. "About that, I want all of this animosity between us to stop. It's most evident between the two of us, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind stepping away with me for a second to discuss it. For Cara's sake."

Hyper was just about to tell the annoyingly dark-haired figure to go take a hike off a cliff...when she remembered Cara's plea for the three of them to get along. "It would make my life so much easier," she had said. Hyper narrowed her eyes on Bobby, and spoke: "Okay, she agreed."

Gicko started to protest, but Hyper held him back with an arm, and used her other arm to offer to Bobby. Whatever it took to stay in Cara's good graces, Hyper would do it.

Bobby smiled wide and interlocked his arm with Hyper's, pulling her along.

Gicko was the very picture of fury, seething with rage as he watched his beloved walk off with Bobby.

IIII

In the gym, Hyper entered first. She was about to ask Bobby, "Why here?"...when -

Hyper was suddenly knocked to the floor. She turned to see Bobby glaring down at her maniacally. In another second, he was laughing just as maniacally. _Oh hell no._ Hyper always knew this asshole was crazy. And if she managed to get out of here, she would let Cara know just how crazy.

Hyper scooted backed on all fours, much like a crab, as Bobby approached. Bobby started humming, and pulled out a handful of darts - ones which resembled the designs the two jock had spit up. _Wait a damn second. _But before Hyper could process it, Bobby was kneeling before her, waving the darts around.

"Like darts, Hyper?" he asked. "Because I sure do," he cackled.

IIII

Back in the hall, Cara walked up to Gicko. "Where's Hyper?"

Gicko eyed a few people passing by, his arms folded as he frowned against his locker door. "She's gone off with your boy, by the gym somewhere. Said they needed to work out their issues...for you."

"What?" Cara's brows furrowed into confusion. "That doesn't sound like Bobby."

Gicko suddenly became concerned, unfolding his arms and standing straight. His expression told Cara to clarify what she meant.

"It's just that Bobby said he wouldn't be caught dead with you two, not even for me."

IIII

Hyper wondered if her jewel would suddenly take effect, teleport her away from this cretin. He was laughing again, and now he moved to try and place the darts into Hyper's mouth. "Eat, them, Hyper. I'll make them taste good, I promise."  
_  
Screw the jewel! _Hyper kneed Bobby in the groin, and he fell over to the side, still tightly grasping the darts in one hand, and his manhood in the other. "But you have to eat them!" he wailed.

Cara and Gicko came bursting in through the gym, and stopped to stare at the sight.

Hyper gave them a deserved "too late" glare.

IIII

"Definitely the dart of vengeance spell," stated Blondes.

The gang had all met up at the playground. They'd excused themselves from class with convincing enough stories, and now they needed to figure this mess out. Bobby didn't seem to have any memory of what had happened as he lay in the school's clinic, and it was just as well.

"Are we dealing with wizardry here?" asked Gicko, sitting on the bench between Cara and Hyper. "Because I could totally take on another wizard," he grinned.

Blondes stood before them. "One does not have to be a wizard to cast such a spell as this."

Hyper twirled a finger in her hair. "But why Bobby?"

Gicko sat up straight. "You know that Derrick guy? The one who seemed most distraught over the jocks' deaths? Some people saw Bobby threatening him in the senior parking lot."

"Which means that's two strikes against Derrick." Cara pursed her lips and looked toward the grass. "Two dead after his jealousy. And one gone mad after a heated altercation."

_A heated altercation_? Hyper wanted to smack Cara in the head. It was more likely that Bobby had been bullying the boy. Couldn't Cara see that Bobby was no good?

Blondes rubbed at his scruffy beard. "Still...one has to wonder how he came about such an ancient spell."

"Looks like I'm off to Derrick's house for answers." Cara stood.

Hyper stood too. "What, alone?"

"No, no," stated Blondes.

"Damn right, no," echoed Gicko, worry practically written on his face.

"We'll need to cast a spell of our own. A holding spell - something to temporarily bind his ability to carry out such acts until we can find a more permanent way of doing so."

"A holding spell?" Cara arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes." Blondes confirmed. "I know exactly what you'll need."

IIII

In Gicko's backyard, Gicko and Hyper dug, Gicko shoveling dirt off to the side and Hyper wetting it with a big hose.

"Mud?" Gicko scoffed. "We need mud for a magic spell?"

Hyper was already annoyed. Her white skirt was now ruined by the mud splatters. "Just dig."

IIII

In an antique shop, Cara was off holding up her deal of the bargain, gathering up a ton of darts, ones specifically made for dart boards.

Blondes was off at some other store, handling the right assortment of acids.

IIII

They arrived back at school, to a horrifying sight - many people were gathered around the building, all looking up at a girl threatening to jump from the school's roof. Every now and then, she would throw a dart over the ledge, laughing pretty mad-like.

Cara and the gang were pretty sure those were the same type of darts the other victims had carried.

"Someone call 911," one boy yelled.

"Help's already on the way," another confirmed.

Off in the crowd, several feet ahead, Cara spotted Derrick. He looked just as worried as them, looking up at the girl who now performed cartwheels near the ledge.

Cara pointed to Derrick. "Guys."

Blondes and the rest looked his way. "Well, then it looks like we were wrong," stated Blondes.

Cara looked perplexed. "What?"

Gicko and Hyper looked just as perplexed. "Yeah, what?"

"There's no way Derrick could have cast the spell just now," clarified Blondes. "Not without still radiating a clear level of visible energy... The dart of vengeance spell takes a good amount of concentration, and one cannot emerge from it unaffected without at least resting for a few hours."

"And considering we've only been gone for an hour..." Gicko trailed off.

All four of them stood there, dumbfounded. Cara with a bag full of darts, Gicko and Hyper with buckets full of mud, and Blondes with a "man-bag" full of acids.

"Then who..." Cara didn't know what to make of this crap.

IIII

In a bright yellow room, walls decorated with the latest pop stars, a dart hit a dart board on the door. The dart was in the center, and pretty soon another dart hit it, splitting the previous dart into two pieces.

On the bed in front of a television screen, a 10-year-old brown-haired boy hummed innocently as he played the video game "Make Your Own Destiny." On the screen, the selection "Eventual death by darts" was pushed, before returning to the display of a girl doing cartwheels along a tall building.

Visible electric-like waves emerged from the screen, and then from all around the boy.

"Darts are a lovely bunch, an insanely, insane lovely bunch," he sang.

The screen suddenly focused in on the crowd below...

...And then just Cara.

"Darts are a lovely bunch, an insanely, insane lovely bunch," the tune reverberated throughout the room.

"But you...little miss blondie...are not." Another dart hit the dart board, shattering the previous one.

"Bobby's little whore, are you?" Another dart hit. "Oh...but you don't love him." Another dart hit. "You don't even want him."

_Hmm. Then who do you want? _

The boy laughed loudly. _Let's try your heart's desire._

"Darts are a lovely bunch, an insanely, insane lovely bunch."

"Darts are a lovely bunch, an insanely, insane lovely bunch."

**ACT 3**

The next day, on the playground, Gicko, Hyper and Blondes waited for Cara. It was early morning, and they had agreed to work this case non-stop. Last night, the three of them had practically researched their brains out, while Cara had lied back on the bench saying how they all needed to just go to this Derrick person's house and search it. She had also uncharacteristically mumbled about how attractive certain celebrities were.

The girl from the rooftop had been rescued, and they desperately needed to brainstorm some more, before anyone else got hurt. "I just don't get it," Blondes yelled. "Where the hell is Cara?"

IIII

In the school's dark room, Kahlan was busy developing print photographs. Her photography teacher had given her permission to take hold of the latest art project he'd assigned the class, and she'd talked things over with Mr. Tanner about being a few minutes late for first period. But what she really needed was to take her mind off of Cara. She wanted to help her mate with the dart mystery, she did, but she also didn't want to appear as a stalker. And now that she knew with her own eyes what type of fearsome warrior the blond had been in their past lives, it was proving even more difficult not to jump Cara's bones.

"Well, hello, sexy."

Kahlan turned to view Cara standing in the doorway, one arm leaned against its frame. "Cara! You're going to ruin the photos!"

_Wait, did Cara just call me sexy? _

Cara moved inside and closed the door behind her, the room now glowing a dark red.

Kahlan watched the other woman oddly. Cara just stood there, eyeing her up and down. Almost as if...as if... _She wants to screw me? _

Cara, in her tight leather, black pants, and red halter top, sauntered over to Kahlan.

Kahlan gulped. _Why am I nervous? I'm not nervous_. _I'm the one in charge of such romantic advances, remember?_

Cara moved impossibly close to Kahlan, and looked over the brunette's shoulder, at the ruined photos. "Oops, did I do that?" She giggled and moved back to view Kahlan.

Kahlan felt herself back up a little, against the table, but Cara pressed into her, not giving her an inch. "Cara, what are you doing?" Kahlan said weakly, eyeing the blond's lips.

Cara picked her mate up and sat her on the table. With a flick of her tongue against clenched teeth, she spread the brunette's legs swiftly, and then placed herself between them. "What we've both been wanting to do since the day we met," she purred.

Kahlan whimpered loudly. She tried to look away, but found herself once again eyeing those luscious lips. Those beautiful sea-green eyes, and then those glorious lips again. _Who is this woman?_

Kahlan studied that face a little closer..._ Oh sweet heavens! She reminds me of unrepentant, sexual Mord-Sith Cara, the one from the visuals._

Cara looked down at Kahlan's outfit and frowned. The raven-haired beauty was wearing one of those super tight shirts and skirts again. "What did I tell you about wearing things like this, Kahlan? Don't you know how excited it makes me?... How mad it drives me?" Cara moved to nibble on Kahlan's earlobe.

Kahlan moaned into Cara's neck, seemingly gasping for air, barely able to contain herself. The pull was extremely powerful between them, and she could feel the different Flamer notches in Cara preparing themselves for their consummation. It was incredibly intoxicating to know that Cara's body was designed for her this way...For her only... Kahlan encircled her legs around Cara's waist, pulling the other woman against her womanhood, and bracing her arms back against the table. _You must already be mad if you're doing this to me._ _Goddamn it, Cara, I want you so much. What is this, a game for you?_

"Kahlan," Cara breathed into her ear, "are you wearing any panties?"

Right then, Kahlan knew she had to stop this before she acted out every sexual fantasy she'd ever had about the blond right there. _This isn't Cara. At least not the Cara I've come to know._ Kahlan knew that the moment the other woman had entered the dark room, but she could dream.

She pushed Cara away and ran toward the door, her back against it.

Cara pouted. "But I have darts," she pulled out a handful of the things and grinned wickedly. "And I know just where to put them."

_Good god!_

Kahlan exited out the door, and slammed it shut. She sealed it with a janitor's broom off to the side.

In a couple of seconds, pounding was heard at the door. "Kahlan!... Kahlan, let me out! We can do this. Here and now. Don't resist me."

It took all of Kahlan's will power not to go back into that room, even with the few people watching her strangely as they passed by. "Cara, listen to me. You're not yourself. I'm going to go get you help," she told the Mord-Sith.

The pounding became louder. "But I'm more myself than ever before!"

Kahlan dashed away from the door, and down the hall. Once she was out of sight, she would teleport. She wasn't in the mood to make people forget, and this so was not how she wanted to meet Cara's do-gooder crew, but Cara needed help.

And, at the moment, so did she.


	7. PART 3, END OF EPISODE 2

**Note:** Sorry it's taken so long for an update. Real life gets in the way often. That, and writing two Cara and Kahlan stories at the same time. Hopefully, the next update of _Flaming Dead_ won't take too long. And, yes, getting feedback/reviews from you guys helps.

The harshest curse words are bleeped out because this is the PG-13/14 version. Some of the language has also been tamed a bit. The uncensored version can be found at Livejournal under this same title/same user name.

**Update summary: **After the seniors try to raise money for certain school activities, and Cara and Kahlan discuss Kahlan's recent whereabouts in the time since their previous big battle, the gang come up against a strange, new force. Kahlan's meeting with Cara's mom had Kahlan psyched for her future with Cara, but recent developments threaten to make this an impossible wish.

**In the previous part:** A child has some part in the Dart of Vengeance Spell, which is eventually cast on Cara. As "drugged up Cara" tries her best to sleep with an equally aroused Kahlan, Kahlan must fight against the "the pull" and acquire a way to restore the ill-tempered blond to her senses...no matter how much it pains them both.

IIII

In a corridor, Kahlan stopped by the door leading to the playground. Out the window, she could see the blond girl angrily wagging a finger at the brown-haired boy, the brown-haired boy shouting something back, and their Youngster angrily wagging a finger at the both of them. _No doubt discussing Cara_, mused Kahlan. She'd made up her mind not to tell Cara's trio exactly who she was. Without discussing it with Cara first - the Normal Cara - it just didn't seem right. She could acquire the trio's help without divulging her secret with Cara, and, in truth, she truly did love being Cara's 'dirty little secret; there was something so enthralling about it...so forbidden. She wasn't ready to give that up just yet.

_Thank goodness the force field isn't up_. Cara had informed her of it during their 'non-date.' It not being up meant she wouldn't have to blow her cover by revealing knowledge of it.

As Kahlan stepped outside, all eyes turned to her. Hyper had her hands on the collar of Gicko's shirt, Gicko had a hand pulling downward on Hyper's ponytail, and Blondes had a rolled up paper in his fist about to bop them both.

"Hello, young lady, how may I help you?" asked Blondes, putting on his best "adult face." He gestured for Hyper and Gicko to disentangle, and they did, Hyper straightening out her skirt and pushing the glasses back up on her face, and Gicko clearing his throat as he briefly eyed Kahlan up and down.

_What in the hell is Kahlan doing here?_ wondered Gicko. _She sure is looking fine, though. _His gaze settled on the way her tight, light blue skirt hugged her hips.

Hyper was also assessing Kahlan. _She really is quite pretty. I wonder why she and Cara hate each other so much... Oops, answered my own question._

Blondes yawned. _Spit it out already, woman. What do you want?_

Kahlan fought back a smile. This was a funny group indeed. And how their Youngster felt it made any sense to be out here on a playground with two teens asking how he may help her was something she would have to ponder later. "It's Cara... She needs your help," stated Kahlan, walking toward them.

IIII

In the school's dark room, Cara raked her hands through her long blond hair, frustrated, as she paced back and forth across the large room. How could Kahlan do this to her? Didn't she know they were supposed to be together? That this was their chance to throw caution to the wind? To forget about what everyone else thinks and just kiss? Just screw? Just be Flamer and Anchor, as their bodies were designed to be?

Cara bit on her bottom lip. Just the memory of being between Kahlan's legs was enough to drive her insane. She'd felt her body responding in ways she couldn't quite describe, except to say that it was extremely powerful. This pull between them, this thing that told them they should mold their bodies together whenever possible. She could even sense Kahlan getting heated _down there_ for her. _F**k!_ She'd told Kahlan that tight shirt and short skirt the brunette had on was doing just that - driving her insane. Now she was certain this was the case, that she was beyond that point. She had to be in order to be thinking this way, she knew.

_Something... Something is making you act this way, act not like yourself, _a small voice told her.

Cara didn't care. She needed Kahlan. _Now. Right now_. Her fists instantly glowing a fiery red, she moved toward the door and knocked it off its hinges with little effort.

She stepped into the empty hallway with a grin and breathed in deeply, her nostrils flaring as if sniffing for her mate... For Kahlan's trail... "Kahlan..." she licked her lips. "God, Kahlan."

IIII

Kahlan stood by the table in front of Blondes, Gicko and Hyper. The three didn't know what to make of Kahlan's words; the brunette was being vague.

"What do you mean she was acting strange?" asked Gicko.

"Yeah, and why would you care? Aren't you two mortal enemies?" questioned Hyper.

_You can scratch off the "mortal" and "enemies" from that list, at least in my case, _sighed Kahlan.

"Is or isn't Cara in grave danger?" Blondes pressed.

Kahlan folded her arms across her chest, doing her best "teenage face," in direct competition with Blondes's little act. "It's just weird, that's all. I was in the dark room developing pictures for a project, because you know those teachers and their deadlines, and Cara came in acting all strange," Kahlan twirled a finger in her hair. "She told me she hangs out here with some friends in the morning, and I thought maybe you could all help. I seriously think she's been drugged. GHB, maybe? I don't care much for the girl, but no woman deserves that, you know?"

Gicko arched an eyebrow. "Acting strange how?"

Kahlan had no time to answer, for the door some distance away blew wide open; Cara emerged to stand outside with a deep frown on her face. "Kahlan!"

Kahlan and the gang looked Cara's way, and Kahlan felt herself instantly panic. _No, not here. _

Cara's tight, leather black pants and red halter top seemed like a second skin on her lithe form as she swaggered over to Kahlan, completely ignoring Blondes and the others as she pushed right through them.

"Hey," Gicko made mock offense, backing up with Hyper and Blondes to stare at the Flamer and brunette before them.

Kahlan felt paralyzed once again as she felt Cara press up against her and lean into the crook of her neck to nibble there.

"Why'd you run from me like that, Kahlan? Don't you know we can finally be together, that we can finally do all the nasty little things you ever wanted to do with me?... To me?" Cara breathed in between nibbles.

Gicko, Hyper and Blondes couldn't drop their mouths any further if they tried. Standing there, flabbergasted by what was transpiring before them, they felt they had to be dreaming. Although why they'd be dreaming this particular abomination was a whole 'nother matter.

Cara encircled Kahlan's waist with her arms and held the brunette tightly, sucking languidly at her throat.

Kahlan felt like her very being was on fire.

_Perhaps it is, and Cara is passing some very literal heat into me?_ Whatever it was, Kahlan knew she didn't want it to end. Her mind was telling her to heed Cara's well-being, but her body...her body was telling her to screw Cara on the spot - audience be damned.  
_  
Screw her now or suffer the consequences._

Kahlan breathed in Cara's intoxicating scent, and closed her eyes, head titled toward the sky. Apparently, the pull was nothing to play with; it was becoming stronger with every such interaction between them and was leaving no room for argument.

Cara used her right hand to slide lovingly up and down Kahlan's left thigh. "I'm open to anything, Kahlan," she sucked hard on where shoulder met neck. Cara didn't know how she knew what to do in order to please Kahlan sexually, but she suddenly had an inner revelation, a sense of every lesbian sex act known to man...even though she couldn't quite picture the specifics. And she wanted to try them all. Every last one. Other lesbian and bisexual women may stick to only two sex acts, but Cara had no intention of doing so."We could do intercourse," she bit down a little, and Kahlan released a low, guttural moan, against the better fight. "...Or outercourse... Whichever you prefer."

Gicko's mouth refused to close. _Cara...maybe touching Kahlan's nether regions? Cara...maybe kissing Kahlan everywhere? Cara...maybe tribbing with Kahlan? This is so f**king hot... So f**king -_ Gicko's face suddenly became contorted in confusion._ Wait, Cara's gay?_

Hyper's mouth kept closing and opening. _Cara... Intercourse with Kahlan? Cara...wants outercourse with Kahlan? ...But Cara's straight! I know she is! I just know -_- Hyper pouted. _And if she's to trib with any woman, it should be me._ Hyper pouted some more, cocking her head as she watched Cara's hand slip an inch beneath Kahlan's skirt. _But, you know... This is so f**king hot._

Blondes ran a hand along his scruffy beard. _I suppose I'm supposed to find this hot._

Kahlan was reeling, trying to force herself to reject Cara's advances, this warm embrace. But she was failing miserably, and Cara smirked, licking along her collarbone. "My room tonight, 7:00-ish? C'omn, I'll screw you good and hard."

A loud gasp was heard to the side of them, and Cara turned to focus her eyes on the blushing Hyper. For some reason, this interested Cara quite a bit. Enough for her to pull away from Kahlan, who wobbled at the loss of contact, and move over to Hyper.

Hyper felt her knees buckle as Cara moved in front of her, eyeing her like prey. "You want me too," said Cara, pulling Hyper against her. "I can sense it."

Now it was Gicko's turn to gasp. He had suspected...but to hear it confirmed...

Blondes covered his mouth as though some scandalized little girl.

And Kahlan? Well, Kahlan was just coming out of her cloud of lust, hand on her head as she watched her mate press up against the beautiful blonde with glasses. _Hyper, she'd said her name was._

Cara was again at a loss for how she now knew the things she did, but she could practically feel it radiating off of her childhood friend. Hyper wanted her... _And bad_. Hyper wanted her, and Cara liked it. She ran a hand along the geeky girl's face. "Hyper...I have a few darts left... We could...you know."

Hyper nearly melted on the spot.

Kahlan was back to her senses, and frowned. _No_. She rushed in between Cara and Hyper in a second, pulling Cara away from the other blonde by her hair. She then looked to Blondes, her would-be lover smiling wide in her death grip. "Do something already, will you? She's clearly not herself."

Cara managed to get out of Kahlan's hold and move around her. Snaking arms around the brunette's waist again, she pulled her close and smiled against her cheek. "Relax, Kahlan. And don't even think that, you hear me? I can't help but be myself around you."

Kahlan blushed, and Cara kissed her cheek. "You're still my Number 1. Okay? I just wanted to see if Hyper was open to joining us," Cara breathed huskily.

Gicko was still dumbfounded by the whole matter, standing opposite Hyper, who was standing in her own cloud of lust next to Cara and Kahlan.

Blondes, standing opposite the intriguing pair, took out his comb and slicked back his jet black hair. "It appears to be a love spell. And judging by the way Cara brought up the subject of darts to Hyper..." Hyper shyly looked to Blondes, embarrassed. "..it is clear that the same culprit is behind this as well. One of many versions of the Dart of Vengeance Spell, I would presume."

Cara smirked mischievously, her hands playing at Kahlan's waist. "Love spell?... Hardly."

Kahlan and the gang screamed in unison, "Shut up!"

Cara just laughed, holding Kahlan even tighter.

Kahlan knew it was time for her to play clueless again. "Love spell? You people cannot be serious?" she said in her most incredulous voice.

Realizing that they had just now exposed Kahlan to their world, Gicko and Hyper immediately looked to Blondes as if to ask for guidance.

Blondes put his comb back into his pocket and straightened out his scientist coat. "Listen, girl..." he directed his gaze to Kahlan.

"Kahlan," the dark-haired beauty corrected him.

"Kahlan...right," he eyed her suspiciously. Something wasn't right about this Kahlan Amnell woman, that Blondes knew. _For one, the way she reacted to Cara's sexual advances._ _Either she is attracted to Cara just as much as Cara is attracted to her in the moment. Or..._ "Magic exists, zombies and creatures exist, blah, blah, blah."

"Blondes!" screamed Hyper, disbelieving that he could be so nonchalant about revealing these details to an outsider.

"Yeah, Blondes, have you lost it?" frowned Gicko.

"Clearly, you've all lost it," Kahlan continued to play along, breaking free of Cara's hold.

Gicko and Hyper immediately rushed to either side of Kahlan, grabbing her by either arm. Rambling on about Blondes being senile, the two were obviously preparing to pull the raven-haired girl away from the scene and send her on her way.

Blondes looked annoyed. "There is no time to coddle her. We can erase her memory later if that's what it takes. Cara and this Derrick fellow are our main concerns right now."

Gicko arched an eyebrow at Blondes. "We can do that? Erase her memory?"

Cara just shrugged and went to lie back on the bench behind them, looking up to the sky lazily with her hands under her head.

Gicko and Hyper became less interested in Kahlan as they focused on the matter at hand, moving away from her and closer to Blondes. "We already cleared Derrick, didn't we? There's no way he could have caused that one girl to 'party like it was 1999' on the school's roof," stated Gicko.

"Cleared of that act, yes. But not of the possibility of working with someone. Remember?" Blondes looked to the ground, rubbing the side of his face. "He could have had a partner."

Hyper folded her arms. "Yeah. The fact remains that the two jocks had been friends with Derrick's brother, and Derrick became jealous of his brother's preference for them over him. There's also Bobby...who made his dislike of Derrick all too public."

"Exactly." Blondes looked up to the teen. "This is no coincidence. Derrick is definitely involved. We just don't know how."

Cara sighed behind them. "You're all wasting your time. There's no such spell that could make me feel this way about Kahlan."

Kahlan turned around to stare at the blond woman looking up to the sky. Cara was doing a number on her heart, and how she longed for Cara to truly mean those words, to truly feel what she herself was feeling in the moment. It wasn't just lust, Kahlan knew. _It's definitely more_. She'd described her connection to Cara before, and Cara had said she felt it too. This deep, abiding feeling that they were - are - far more than rivals, far more than two women who just met two weeks ago. Their every action, every word seem to intertwine them, bind them to each other in effortless ways, and lead them back to the other with just as much wanting as before. _More even_... _Like now._

Kahlan had experienced lust, lifetimes over. And this was far beyond that. But if Cara couldn't even call it love, not even in her spelled form, how could Kahlan even begin to? _Love, really? You may want a life with this woman, and it's true that she makes you feel more alive than you ever have. But love? You believe in it, sure... But... More like adoration. You adore her. _

Cara was now staring at her grinning wide, with that love-struck look, and Kahlan knew she couldn't leave the little detective gang to themselves, not without it setting off Cara. But she would be damned if they were going to erase her memory; she hadn't come to know Cara this far just to have it all wiped away.

"Once we find Derrick, how do we stop him? Reverse what he's done to Cara?" asked Hyper, leaning an arm over Gicko's shoulder.

"Assuming he or his partner in crime are using a book, burning the book should work well enough for amateurs. If we're dealing with something else, such as gems or stones, we may have to draw the power out of them and back into the item or items. You see, with gems or stones, it's likely that the power escaped its confinement and engulfed the host...or hosts; they would have become possessed, in a way." Blondes clasped his hands behind his back.

"You've referred to it as the 'Dart of Vengeance spell.' But you're saying it's more than just a spell? It's actually a distinct power?" asked Gicko.

"A distinct power which may have various possibilities. Each of the four cases, for example, have been distinct enough. Not the same type of vengeance exacted over and over again."

Cara yawned. "Look, if you're going to go to Derrick's house, go. He's in school right now. I saw him in the hall on my way to screw Kahlan. Get the stones or whatever, so you can all see that my feelings for Kahlan won't change... Then move on."

Kahlan looked back at Cara and then back to the gang.

"Fine," stated Blondes. "But you're coming with us." He marched over to Cara and pulled her up by the arm, then trained his gaze on Kahlan. "And don't think you're safe either, Missy."

Kahlan gave Blondes the once-over. Her features clearly asked, _"And who the hell are you?"_, mostly for show but also because this man-boy had some nerve.

IIII

They arrived at a tall, black and gray house in a small neighborhood, in Cara's little car; it was a new brand given to her by Bobby, but her usual joy at driving it was missing. Since she didn't drive this time, it was a moot point anyway.

The gang started to file out of the ride, each one complaining about the tightness of the vehicle. Cara took this time to pull Kahlan into her and push her back against the car, basically asking why the brunette wouldn't kiss her. They were also clearly having eye sex. At this, Blondes shooed them away from the car just as Gicko and Hyper stumbled toward the front yard, doing their best to catch intimate moments between the two.

IIII

In a bright yellow room, walls decorated with the latest pop stars, a dart hit a dart board on the door. The dart was in the center, and pretty soon another dart hit it, splitting the previous dart in two pieces.

On the bed in front of a television screen, a 10-year-old brown-haired boy hummed innocently as he played the video game "Make Your Own Destiny." On the screen, the selection "Welcome guests" was pushed before returning to the display of Cara, Kahlan and the rest of the gang outside Derrick's front door.

Visible electric-like waves emerged from the screen, and then from all around the boy.

IIII

Outside, the door opened for the group. "Okay... That's creepy," pointed Gicko.

"Just come on," stated Kahlan, pushing past the others and entering the house. This earned her astounded looks from the others - all except Cara, who snickered - but Kahlan didn't care. She wanted this over as soon as possible. The sooner it was over, the sooner she could remove herself from Cara's presence and silence this aching in her heart.

Inside, they all moved toward the stairs, Kahlan leading.

Gicko nudged Hyper, nodding Kahlan's way. "Something tells me she's done this before."

Blondes was last in line and agreed with Gicko's assertion. "Apparently so."

They came upon a room with light radiating out from under the doorway. There were also two more options to choose from - the left hall and the right hall - but their eyes remained focused on the door before them. As they reached for it, the door opened automatically, allowing view of a young brown-haired boy on a bed playing a video game. The boy didn't even acknowledge them; he only kept playing.

"Guys, a dart board." Hyper noticed it to her left.

The group immediately looked in Hyper's direction, and the little boy giggled.

Cara moved in front of everybody else, spotting herself on the television screen, along with Kahlan and her crew. The boy had a video game controller in his hand, but the screen didn't look like a video game at all.

The boy giggled louder, steadily playing on, just as Hyper gasped at the sight of the mirror image of them, causing the others to notice as well.

"Is he...controlling us?" asked Kahlan, squinting at the screen.

"Well, I'll be damned," remarked Blondes.

Gicko now moved forward. "What did you do to Cara, you weird-looking devil child! And how are you controlling us?"

The boy finally looked up at the gang, grinning wide as his sharp eyes scanned over them back and forth. "What did I do to Cara? How am I controlling you?" He could barely contain his next giggling fit. "Are you not moving on your own right now, or aren't you?"

At that, his opponents all checked themselves - and their free will - and saw that they were all indeed in control of their own bodily functions.

"What you see on the screen is an overlay of the town, the city, anything I choose to zoom in on. It's like you're on candid camera, to be honest." He laughed.

"My god!" stated Blondes, noticing a ruby red, diamond-shaped jewel, much like the ones originally found around school, as well as the ones now owned by his teenage fighting force, on a desk in front of the closet behind the child. "This is..." He walked to it, picking it up.

"Real?" the little boy quirked an eyebrow, refocusing on the television screen. "Probably not. A few days ago, Dillon brought it here as a gift."

"Dillon? One of the jocks you would hang around? One of the ones who is now dead?" asked Cara, folding her arms across her chest. She wanted to screw Kahlan, she did,_ like there's no tomorrow_, _in fact_, but as long as Kahlan was around, her Flamer functioning wasn't completely out of whack.

Cara managed a look Kahlan's way; the brunette was beside her eyeing the child just as eagerly.

The boy chuckled, answering Cara. "Yes, that would be him. I'd beaten him for the 100th time in 'Make Your Own Destiny' and instead of handing over the bucks, he thought a fake-ass jewel would placate me."

Whether the jewel was fake or not, Blondes wasn't sure, nor was that any concern of his."The power was unleashed from this and into you, wasn't it?" he asked, examining the item in his hand.

The boy briefly looked over his shoulder. "Oh, that's what it was? Power? And here I thought it was merely pretty lights that had danced before my eyes." He grinned devilishly before returning his gaze to the screen.

_This boy sure has one wicked sense of humor_, Gicko furrowed his brows together. "Looks like all the left-over jewels weren't as harmless as we thought."

"Apparently not," agreed Blondes. "But why one would infuse a spell such as this in..." He watched the boy's back. "How did this happen? And why are you doing this?"

"Your name... What's your name?" queried Hyper.

The boy waved them all off, while keeping his gaze where it remained. "So many questions... so little time."

Kahlan didn't like the sound of that last line."What do you mean by that?" _So little time_."

"Only that...you all want to know what I did. It's not so much what I did, but rather...what my brother thought." He looked to the teenagers, seeing their need to hear more. "The jewel's lights hit me while I played the game alone. Pretty soon, I was connected not only to this game where I could build my own destiny...but to my brother's thoughts as well. My brother would think about things he wanted - a piece of cake, a girl's virginity he wanted to take, death of two jocks." He grinned wide. "And I saw that I could make it all happen through this little video game here. More like...I was compelled to make it happen. My brother truly desires it... And if it's mean enough... Because the nice things are always harder to make happen..." His eyes lit up. "And you know the coolest part? The darts that fly out of the screen whenever I'm on the verge of making a wish a reality." He giggled loudly. "So damn cool."

"A vengeance genie," informed Blondes, drawing the attention of everyone else.

"A what?" asked Cara.

"One aspect of the Dart of Vengeance Spell... genies who grant wishes. With these such scenarios, once the power is released, the infected person does the bidding of either the person who called upon the power, blood relatives, or the ones he or she may be closest to. In this case, no one called upon the power to overtake him, and while the child was closest to the two football players, blood overrules friendship ties. Thus...this boy has been granting his brother's vengeance wishes."

Everyone was suddenly solemn, looking down at the child with saddened eyes.

"My name is Adam. And don't any of you dare pity me," he eyed the teenagers." My brother doesn't even know about it."

Cara smirked. "Derrick's last name is Adams. So your name is Adam Adams?"

"Jeez. Maybe your parents are to blame," remarked Hyper.

The boy gave them both death glares.

Gicko brought the subject back in line. "Unknowingly causing the harm of others? Like wishing for something without really meaning it?" He looked off toward the dart board.

Adam nodded. "Yes. And I love making these silent wishes come true - making people bleed, making people act on their lust." He eyed Cara and and Kahlan with a flicker of humor.

"It's the power causing him to act this way," relayed Blondes, coming around to stand before the child.

"You think my brother made this blond bitch want you?" the boy didn't even bother to cloak his detest for Kahlan. "All he did was wish she would focus on someone else. Her boyfriend perhaps. But the magic let me know that's not what she wanted. Not who she wanted. Oh no..." he cackled. "Who she wanted was the brunette - you - her heart's desire."

Kahlan looked to her right, to find her mate already eyeing her hungrily.

Gicko's and Hyper's mouths dropped open once again. Blondes, this time, was far from surprised. But he was intrigued.

Adam continued on, as though he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary. "So you see... It is you I had her center on. You have essentially become her entire world, Kahlan Amnell." He licked his lips. "Kahlan...what a wonderful name that is... But, yeah, we didn't make her want you. We simply intensified it."

"I told you," breathed Cara, communicating with Kahlan more by the passion in her eyes.

Kahlan tried to control herself. The heat flowing through her... _Intensified it? Cara's... H__eart's desire? _Kahlan swallowed hard. _The pull is intensity enough. So the pull plus this?_ Kahlan shook her head._ It equals a Cara that's not real._

_That hasn't changed. _

Kahlan knew Cara lusted after her, but to openly desire her like this? _No.._. Kahlan had to think about the reality of the moment. And the reality was...she had to train her attention back on the boy. "What did you mean _by So little time?"_ she asked again.

Adam turned back to the screen, twisting the video game controller around in his hand. "Brother's hating on someone else. I can always feel it when a wish is about to be made."

The screen started radiating visible electric-like waves. A dart flew out of the screen, hitting the dart board behind Adam; the others' eyes settled there. All except Kahlan's. Her vision had settled on the screen, which showcased a teenage boy in a classroom.

"Another girl has turned him down, and he just thought about the bitch taking a hike off a cliff...with all the other dumbasses in the world." More giggles. "This is why I can't let you leave. Can't let you stop me."

Cara's eyes went wide at the implication, and she lunged at Kahlan, taking them both out the door, right before it closed tight. They landed flush against each other, staring back at the door.

Inside of the room, Gicko looked at the screen showing Derrick in class. It was a class he recognized, and Derrick appeared as though he absolutely wanted to murder the girl sitting across from him. _Serial killer much?_

Hyper was still looking at the door Cara and Kahlan had practically jumped through. "Figures she would save Amnell before us," she smirked. Hyper couldn't begrudge Cara love, though, not if her friend truly loved the woman, as the boy had suggested.

"Cara! ... Mrs. Statham's room. That's where Derrick is!" yelled Gicko over his shoulder. "Get there! ...Hurry!"

"You'll have to get him to reverse the wish on the girl! Not Cara, but the girl he is furious with at this very moment!" added Blondes.

Adam smiled wide. "It doesn't matter. Class is about to be over, and I'll have this bitch jump off the school's building in no time."

"Someone really ought to wash your mouth out with soap," Hyper turned toward the young one.

Adam ignored her. "In fact, I can excuse her from class right now." His thumbs began a manic pace on the controller. "Darts are a lovely bunch, and insanely, insane lovely bunch," he sang.

Outside, Cara lying comfortably on top of the woman beneath her, stared into the depths of those blue eyes and meant to speak, but Kahlan silenced her with a finger to the lips. "There's no time."

She teleported them in the next moment.

IIII

They arrived at school, in an empty hall, still lying on the floor against each other. "Now...where is this Mrs. Statham's class?" asked Kahlan.

IIII

Gicko and Hyper stood side by side watching Blondes before them. "Do you think Cara will do it? Try and stop him? I mean, she is spelled," stated Hyper.

"She is with the object of her desire, whether manufactured or not, and seems to be close to the same ole Cara because of this. I suspect as long as she has the brunette with her, she can focus beyond her sexuality." He smirked, "Whatever that may be. It's why I insisted the woman come along. And if I'm perfectly honest, there's something very peculiar about this Kahlan Amnell."

Gicko and Hyper couldn't argue with that. _It'd almost seemed like Cara and Kahlan were soulmates...true loves even,_ Hyper thought over their earlier interaction._ Hmm, I wonder if..._ She almost chuckled to herself._ Nah! _Cara may or may not be into girls, but Hyper was fairly certain her blond companion didn't believe in love. Not the romantic kind anyway...as she'd often told her.

"What are we going to do about Devil Child?" Gicko nodded towards Adam.

"You were studying transfer spells just last week, if I remember correctly."

"Yeah, but he isn't one hundred percent, Blondes," Hyper interjected. "He isn't even ten percent."

"Yes, well, we'll have to try." Blondes went on. "Gicko and I can combine our talents in wizardry, and lack thereof, and hope that is enough to draw the power out of the boy and back into the jewel. We're going to have to be careful about it, though. Since Cara is still under the influence of the magic, and this is the ancient Dart of Vengeance Spell, which stops at nothing to ensure it has exacted even the smallest bit of revenge, drawing the power back into the jewel could take a part of Cara with it...not just the spelled part. We'll have to do our best to make certain that no vital aspect of Cara is pulled away in the process."

"Making Cara act this way isn't enough vengeance?" asked Hyper, concerned, pushing the glasses back up on her face.

"I'm afraid it may not be," confirmed Blondes.

"You know...I can hear you people," spoke Adam through gritted teeth. "And it won't matter anyway. The cunt is on her way to jump off the damn roof."

Visible electric-like waves shot out from the screen, into Blondes, Gicko and Hyper, sending them back against the wall and bonding them there; the waves moved all around, holding them in vine-line embraces.

"So you all just sit back and relax," finished Adam, watching the girl move down the hall on his screen.

Blondes huffed. The waves didn't hurt, but he was over this shit. "Gicko, start the chant... Level 2 transfer spell. I'll follow you from there and will try to raise it."

IIII

In the hall, Cara and Kahlan passed by a lost-looking girl; her eyes appeared dead, and if Kahlan wasn't so concerned with finding Derrick, she would have paid this more attention.

As they turned a corner, coming into a long, wide corridor, Cara pointed ahead. "That room, on the far end...to the right."

They ran as fast as their feet would carry them, Cara's flat, booted heels clacking against the polished, wooden floor in a sort of rhythmic beat to Kahlan's brown high heel shoes.

"Cara, I'll be back in seconds," stated Kahlan as they arrived right outside the door. Cara began to nod just as Kahlan vanished.

IIII

Inside the classroom, Kahlan transported herself in a seat right next to Derrick, on his left. She only knew what he looked like due to what she had viewed on the television screen back in Adam's room. As for a few of the kids who looked at her as though they had just witnessed the impossible, she would take care of that - their memories - with her next transport jump. At least she didn't have to worry about the teacher.

Seeing Derrick distracted by the empty chair to his right, Kahlan leaned over and touched him by the shoulder. She didn't have to touch a person, or personal item, to bring them along, but in this case she felt he needed the scare.

IIII

She appeared with him outside the room, before Cara.

Derrick immediately scattered back, falling on his butt and looking up at the two women. "How'd I ..." He scrunched up his forehead. "Cara?...Kahlan Amnell?"

IIII

Blondes and Gicko chanted loudly, a foreign and ancient dialect Hyper wasn't sure either of them truly understood. She squirmed against the wall between them, the electric waves coursing through her body, seemingly in sync with the green-colored energy being pulled away from the child's frame and back into the jewel on the desk. "Why doesn't he just kill us?"

"Because it's not part of any of the wishes. The child's brother has not wished us to die, and so we won't. Not by his hand." Blondes went back to chanting.

Gicko wanted to ask_ Why doesn't he just seal our mouths?, _but didn't want to give the brat any ideas.

Adam felt the power pulling from his body, and grunted against the sensation. He steadily pressed buttons on the video game controller. "No... She's almost there."

On the screen, the girl was on the last set of stairs leading up to the roof. The school had elevators as well, but none which took them to the roof apparently.

IIII

Derrick watched the green aura being pulled away from Cara and down the corridor; it frightened him even more than the feeling of being lost in this moment. Cara and Kahlan were asking him for a weird favor, and a part of him wanted to run. _How do they even know what went through my mind? And what's the big deal? It's not like I meant it. _"What do you mean I need to take the wish back? And what the hell is wrong with - you're glowing green, Cara! ... Seriously, am I on some hidden camera show or -"

Cara slammed Derrick into the wall, growling as Kahlan came up behind her to press a soft palm to her shoulder. "You take that wish back, or I snap your neck," stated Cara. "I have a date tonight - a highly anticipated sex date - in my room, and I'm not going to let you screw that up."

Kahlan's attempts to conceal her blushing fits ended right there.

IIII

On the school's roof, the young girl approached the edge of the building, spreading her arms eagle style, ready to take flight. Green aura pulled away from her just as it did Cara and Adam.

IIII

"You feel how strong I am, don't you?" Cara gritted her teeth. "If you want this to just be a bad joke, you will make that damn wish right now," her hands gripped his neck.

"Okay, okay!" screamed Derrick. "I don't wish Lisa to jump off a cliff or a building, I wish her safe and back to her senses!"

IIII

Lisa blinked back remnants of the spell, almost slipping over the edge before screaming when she realized where she was. She fell back on her ass...away from danger and certain death.

IIII

"Noooooo," hollered Adam as he watched the girl saved from being flattened to the pavement. He quickly changed the "channel" on the screen, taking him to his brother, Cara and Kahlan. "Good wishes aren't supposed to work! Not so easily!"

Blondes and Gicko finished the last of the transfer spell, repeating in unison, "Quieleck, ti, oui, oui."

Hyper watched in amazement as the last bit of the green mist pulled away from the child and back into the ruby red jewel; Blondes, Gicko and Hyper dropped from the wall instantly, and Adam passed out over the bed.

Gicko stood, dusting off his shirt. _Dusty ass wall_. "How about it, Blondes, a 'good wish' working 'this easily' for a vengeance genie?"

Blondes helped up Hyper. "It seems that since the child was mostly drained by that point, it gave the wish more room to prosper...to not have its pathway as blocked by all the anger, sadness and pain."

They all looked over to the unconscious Adam.

IIII

Cara and Kahlan fell to their knees, both staring at their chests as they gripped for their hearts.

The bell rung loudly, and people started to swarm the area.

Kahlan gazed up at Cara. _Something's different... I can feel it._

Cara gazed up at Kahlan, her face the very definition of confusion. "What am I... Kahlan, did you do this?"

Derrick watched them both. Kahlan appeared relatively okay, but Cara looked as perplexed as he had just moments ago, having materialized out of nowhere at the end of the wide, tinted corridor. _At least she's no longer glowing green_, he sighed with relief.

IIII

At the school's playground, two hours later, Cara sat on the bench listening to Blondes, Gicko and Hyper detail today's events.

"I can't believe I acted that way," Cara shook her head.

"Well, even without you remembering, it's a memory I'll certainly cherish forever." Gicko grinned wide, his eyes giving off a hint of mischief.

Hyper nudged him with a shoulder. "You men... Girl-on-girl action never fails with you, does it?"

"Nope," the brown-haired boy replied... "Not unless it's two ugly chicks."

Cara pointed a finger at them both. "I already told you, I'm not gay."

Gicko laughed. "Yeah, but you're bi, right?.. C'omn, Cara, you were all over Kahlan - your sworn enemy."

Cara shrugged. "It was the spell. And true bisexuality? You know I've never believed in it... People are like ninety-eight percent attracted to one sex over the other, and still want to call themselves bi." She shook her hands before them. "Do you know...bisexuality is like the only instance where something doesn't have to be 50/50? Take, for example, a biracial person. A person isn't biracial unless they're half and half; otherwise they're multiracial or just 'one race.' A bike is not a bicycle unless it's half and half; otherwise it's a unicycle or a tricycle. But bisexuality? Oh, no if you desire one sex over the other - 99.9 % of the time - you're still bi."

Gicko smirked. "Okay, so not only are you homophobic, you're biphobic too." _Though she does have a point. Isn't sexual orientation all about which sex we prefer? Is anyone ever truly 100% anything?  
_

Cara waved him off.

Hyper giggled, leaning an arm over Gicko's shoulder. "Gicko's right, Cara. Adam even said all he did was wish you to embrace your heart's desire."

"Are you two serious?" Cara rolled her eyes. "We're talking about a Psycho Child, okay? His brother probably wished me to engage in a little same-sex action as revenge. And who better than - as you two call her - my sworn enemy?"

Gicko and Hyper looked as though the truth had just dawned on them. "That does sound like the most realistic scenario," Gicko rubbed his chin.

"Damn straight," pondered Hyper. _It had seemed so real, but perhaps it was fake? _She looked her friend up and down._ Of course it was. This is Cara we're talking about here. Man-chasing Cara, who's never actually had to chase a man. _

"That still doesn't explain why the brunette appeared so smitten with you," interrupted Blondes, eyeing Cara skeptically next to Gicko and Hyper as he combed his jet black hair.

This fact brought Gicko right back to "the very important" subject at hand, and his grin returned. "That's right! She could barely resist your sexual advances."

Cara stood, and shrugged again. "It must have been a part of the spell too. You all even said Hyper acted drawn to me as well." She examined Hyper's now blushing demeanor.

Hyper stood straight, nervously twirling her hair. "Definite product of the spell. Yep... Because," she started in her fast, non-stop rhythm, "there's no way Cara would desire me in that way, want to touch me in every way possible, flip me over like a pancake, do me dirty-like, flip me back over, give her mouth to other parts of me, and then trib with me. No, not at all. And there's no way I'd desire Cara in that way, want to touch her in every way possible, flip her over like a pancake, do her dirty-like, flip her back over, give my mouth to other parts of her, and then trib with her. No, not at all."

The gang stared at the uneasy blonde girl with glasses hanging halfway off her face. Moments ticked by.

"Okay, then," Blondes cleared his throat, "Where is this Kahlan Amnell now?" he asked, putting his comb away. "It is of great importance that I find out how she managed to get you to the school so quickly. And equally important that she returns to her everyday, normal life... That is, if she has an everyday, normal life." Blondes squinted his eyes at the Flamer.

_Damn you, Blondes. _Cara pinned him with her own suspicious gaze. "I don't know where she is, but I'll find her and convince her it was all just a bad joke, like I did with Derrick. So no brainwashing, okay?" She briefly pointed a finger at him.

He diverted his gaze, and slowly straightened out his scientist coat. "It's just odd to me that you would want to spare the memories - such intimate memories - of a woman you very publicly humiliated, one you are said to hate, and one who may now compromise our quest."

Cara gave Blondes a "Stop pushing me" look. _And quest? More like a life-long burden. _"You act like anyone will believe her."

"That is beside the point." He met the blond's face.

"You know..." Gicko cut in," there's something I've been wondering about Adam. Gicko decided if he didn't intervene now, the two could keep this up all day. "I mean, thank goodness he no longer remembers, and neither does the latest girl in another round of 'Derrick says jump off the school's roof,' but... Why did he let us into the house in the first place, into his room? He didn't have to. He could have just kept us from knowing what he was up to."

"I would say he was asking for help. The innocent child beneath all the corrupt power. He wanted to be saved just as much as any tortured soul."

"And he's okay now?" asked Cara, following Gicko's lead.

"He needs to get back in school," stated Gicko. "Turns out he missed a few days, unknown to his mother or Derrick, but he's with them now. The father is missing from the picture, but Derrick promises to work harder on rebuilding their sibling bond."

"Good," nodded Cara.

"Still might be worth keeping an eye on those two," warned Hyper. "One has rampant homicidal thoughts. And the other..."

"You're probably right," chuckled Gicko. "Why'd the jewel choose Adam anyway, and not the two jocks?" He turned to Blondes.

"Hard to say," Blondes stuck his hands into his coat pockets. "Maybe the vulnerability?"

Feeling the discussion finally coming to an end, Cara felt the need to distance herself from the gang. Her thoughts were all jumbled up, and she needed time to herself. "If that's all...I'll be getting back to whatever class I'm supposed to be in at the moment." She started to walk off.

"Um, Cara." Blondes stared at her back. She didn't turn around. "Make sure to take care of that Kahlan problem."

Cara grit her teeth, but continued on toward the door .

Blondes turned to Gicko and Hyper. "You two sure you checked the grounds thoroughly for any more of those jewels hiding around?" He pulled out the red, ruby jewel he'd retrieved from Adam's room.

They both nodded a "Yes."

Blondes rubbed his chin. "Then make sure we have nothing to worry about regarding this Kahlan woman. Find out everything you can on her. And fast." He looked back to the door Cara had entered through, and narrowed his eyes.

IIII

In the corridor leading to the playground, Cara was so caught up in her thoughts that she barely had time to register the main intruder of such thoughts bumping into her in one chest-on collision.

Cara stared up into the deep blue eyes, which clearly looked pained. "Kah-lan."

Kahlan still had on her outfit from earlier today, but was now wearing her black cloak; it always managed to add a level of mystery to her. "You still don't remember?" Her gaze penetrated Cara's, like it always did.

Cara swallowed hard. "Our earlier interaction today?" She wanted to say something different, but... "No."

"You feel it, don't you? That's something changed?"

"Other than my memory?" Cara looked to the floor, and bit on her bottom lip.

After moments of reluctance, the reply finally came, ..."Yes." She looked back up to Kahlan, eyes conveying regret. "I can't feel it anymore, Kahlan - the sexual pull between us."

Now Kahlan looked down. "I suspected as much. Your Youngster, I overheard him at the start of the hour explaining to you and the others how the transfer could remove a part of you."

"Yeah, but he only thinks it's my memory."'

Kahlan's blue eyes met Cara's sea-green ones. "I wish it wasn't...your memory or anything else." Her tone was thick with melancholy, and she turned her back to the blond. "But this should work out better for you, right? You'll have Bobby, and I'll have..."

"Big Bertha?" Cara answered for her, more of a question.

Kahlan remained still.

"Kahlan, my Youngster...he is suspicious of you."

"Yes...I suppose he is." Kahlan vanished without another word.

_And you never told him of our bond.  
_

Cara didn't know why she lied to Kahlan and the others about not remembering... She sighed deeply...

No...she did. C_oward_ summed it up best.

IIII

At 7:00 PM, Cara's house, Cara stretched out on her bed. In her tank top and amazingly tight blue boxers, she stared out the open window to her right, seeing a full moon high in the sky._ Figures a full moon would be out this night. _

Cara wondered so many things. Like how she'd sensed not only how badly Kahlan wanted her, but how badly Hyper had wanted her too, and whether or not it was the pull or simply the child's spell. Maybe both. She wondered whether or not Kahlan would have showed up this night, at exactly 7:00, had Cara still been under the love spell... And how the brunette would have reacted if she'd known _I still remember._

"Kahlan," she whispered into the air before cutting off the lamp beside her bed. She wasn't in the mood to stay up this night. She was in the mood, however, to dream of bashing some zombies' heads in.

IIII

Outside the window, Kahlan, standing on a tree branch next to the window frame, looked up to the sky. She couldn't believe she'd shown up. It hadn't been Real Cara who'd made those advances on her, who'd said those delicious things to her. _But, god, did it feel real. Cara's essence...so much like the Cara Mason of the past... Maybe... Maybe that spell brought ought some primal side of Cara?_

Kahlan closed her eyes and scolded herself. _Look at you. You're how many years older than her now? Everyone's in their infancy compared to you... Everyone except older immortals and long-living creatures, but the last group of potential mates you should be looking at are teenagers._

She opened her eyes and looked back up to the sky. _But goddamn it if that that boy wasn't right. __"Darts are an insanely, insane lovely bunch,"_ to have given her Cara for part of one day.

_**CARA AND KAHLAN: REINCARNATION AMONG THE FLAMING DEAD **_

_**On the next episode:  
The gang are back to fighting zombies. Cara and Kahlan are forced to intimate interaction with each other while attending a slumber party, and Hyper becomes the crush of one new, very mysterious girl.  
**_


	8. EPISODE 3, PART 1

**Note: This is the censored version. **The harshest curse words are bleeped out or changed completely because this version is PG-13/TV-14. Some of the language, such as the **sex research**, has also been tamed a bit. The uncensored version can be found at LiveJournal under this same title/same user name. For this update, the LiveJournal version also has pictures regarding certain parts (no, not naughty parts, LOL) which may enhance the story for you. Links as well, which are only informative for the research.

**Episode: "I wanna be hers"**

**ACT 1**

Cara's sword swiped at a zombie's neck, her gold and silver Morphintinta blade blazing a brilliant red flame in the night air as it decapitated one undead creature after another. Sometimes, the flame would reach their heads first and they would disintegrate into a swirl of particles into the ground...a part of the earth once more.

They were in a cleared section of a wooded area, alerted here by a zombie who had taunted Blondes with a holographic note, telling him and his crew to meet them in the open "field." It was an obvious trap, but Cara and her gang were not going to pass this up. They had enjoyed two weeks - two weeks and a couple of day's peace from such creatures, but now, on a Sunday night, that was over. It bothered them to think of what reason King Zombie had delayed his attacks, but they couldn't ponder that right now. No...right now Gicko stood with his back to Cara using some type of lightning magic to expel from his hands and into the zombies, often paralyzing them for Cara to then take down. Hyper would whack them with her baseball bat if Cara didn't get to them first. Gicko's wizardry power was increasing more and more every day.

Blondes stood expelling some form of magic from his own hands, a form of yellow mist which substantially weakened every zombie he could center in on. These were not the zombies you typically saw in the movies. They were fast, and if they'd managed to "refresh" for the night, they were smart too. _"When a zombie feasts on the brains of humans, they can actually take on the personality of that victim. To a point - they become smarter. But this only lasts for twelve hours. Definitely a short time. After that, they return to their usual dumbfounded selves... A zombie, you see, is as human as us during the day, but at night - they're as grotesque as anything you've ever seen. This being, in main part, because of the zombie master. People who have died at night are raised from the ground by this creature. And because of the night - because that's when they died - at this time, they are monsters. They day releases them from this fate...since their demise occurred otherwise...__,"_ he'd told the teenagers at the beginning of their quest.

Hyper became tired of the baseball bat and sat in the middle of the ground between Cara and Gicko to meditate. Her powers had improved too. And she had discovered if she concentrated hard enough, she could make zombies attack each other.

Together, Cara and the others were a force to be reckoned with. Cara's mind, however, was more occupied with thoughts of Kahlan. Just like the first week after they'd gotten close, when Kahlan had anchored her back to normal, and Kahlan avoided her, Kahlan was avoiding her again. _This is so damn frustrating_, she thought, as she drove her sword through a zombie's heart, and then finished him. For nearly a week, Kahlan had avoided her...again. The same amount of time Cara and her gang had reentered the zombie fight. And it being the end of the week, or start to others, Cara needed something to do. After this, she would join Becky and some acquaintances for drinks._ It's not like Kahlan has anything to be embarrassed about anyway. I'm the one who acted like a complete imbecile because of that damn Dart of Vengeance Spell._ "Arrgh," she sliced at a zombie's gut.

The zombie dodged the blade in the nick of time, and then ran off farther into the woods. This frustrated Cara further and she took off after him.

"Cara!" her friends screamed, but their voices barely registered.

IIII

Not far from the main spot, Cara came upon a twirling, cloaked figure, slashing with blades up, down and everywhere between. The person was surrounded by zombies, and the zombie Cara was chasing joined in. The person's hood fell off, and Cara could see that it was Kahlan, face illuminated by the moonlight as the brunette flipped backward and threw a blade into the chest of the nearest zombie - the one Cara had been after. She then grabbed one zombie by the neck, and, effortlessly lifting him off the ground, threw him into the others.

_Such strength_, Cara admired the twirling figure, taking any and every zombie down, with vanishing tactics in between - male, female, tall, big, whatever, it did not matter. They were either decapitated or violently ripped apart.

Cara ran to Kahlan's side just as the brunette finished off the last of the zombies, who slashed her thigh before his head was torn away from him in the next moment. "Kahlan!" Cara yelled. The brunette turned to her, blood splatter on parts of her face and neck, the same as Cara. "What are you doing here?"

Kahlan looked Cara up and down as though she were a stranger, and backed up. Not prepared for the weakness in her wounded leg, however, she stumbled backward and fell to her rear.

Cara quickly kneeled over Kahlan, and moved away the part of the cloak shielding the anchor's right thigh. The woman was wearing some type of dark dress with long slits on the side. Cara's hand moved under the right slit, and Kahlan gasped at the contact. She didn't say anything... Only watched...with tempered curiosity.

Once Cara found the wound, she pulled the material back and could see that the cut was bad. Pretty long and deep, it would be infected in no time, she concluded, completely disregarding the fact of Kahlan's immortality. "We need to burn the wound closed." Cara looked up to Kahlan.

_Those words_, Kahlan looked to Cara with much alarm. _That line, this interaction... Something similar to this happened many years ago, with the Cara and Kahlan of the past._ "That won't be necessary," Kahlan answered, trying to move.

Cara pressed a hand to the injured thigh, forcing Kahlan to stay where she was. Their eyes locked, and Kahlan felt even more on fire than her already burning flesh. Smoke rose between them, and - after a few more moments of Cara's flaming hand healing her from within - the deed was done.

Cara's hand lingered on the tender spot, tracing patterns there. As Kahlan wasn't wearing any panties and Cara's fingers were dangerously close to her womanhood, it was as erotic as anything Kahlan had ever experienced.

Cara used her other hand to run fingers gently through the raven beauty's hair. "Why are you out here, Kahlan? And fighting alone? You could have at least told me."

_Why are you doing this? Being so gentle? Torturing me like this?_ "Don't touch me!" Kahlan spat out, knocking Cara's hands away.

"Cara!... Cara!" They heard the blond's gang call out, and Cara looked over her shoulder in the direction of the yells.

"Kahlan..." she turned back to her mate, but the other woman was gone. _Son of a - I hate it when she does that._

Gicko and the others, nearly out of breath, made it to their friend. "There you are. Why'd you run off like that?" asked the brown-haired boy.

"Yeah, I saw the zombie run, but -," Hyper started in.

"-You shouldn't have separated from us like that, "Blondes cut in. "You know your powers have the possibility of spinning out of control, and -"

Cara waved them all off, standing with a frown. "All the zombies dead?" She leaned on her sword.

"The ones here? Yeah," answered Gicko. "Too bad I can't say the same for the rest of the world."

"Then I'm off," Cara started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Hyper looked concerned.

"Away from here," Cara continued on. Away from the duty, away from fighting, and away from her friends calling after her. _Away from the pain._

IIII

Cara spent an evening drinking, this type of beer and that, and a little wine in between. Becky and some of her friends had decided to attend a strip club, which meant Cara had to be subjected to half-naked males slinging their slongs in her face. What a club was doing open, and as full as it was, on a Sunday night, Cara didn't know. At least, full nudity had not been allowed. They had mostly drank at Becky's place, but Becky had managed to sneak a bit of liquor into the club. Typically, they would need to be 21 to get into such a place, but since it was a club that only served food and not alcohol, the minimum age requirement was 18.

Cara had wanted to remove herself from her current life as much as possible. Being without Kahlan for so long was weighing heavily on her for reasons she couldn't quite understand. Truth be told, she would have killed to see Hyper's expression at the things she saw tonight, but considering Hyper was a full-blown alcoholic, and was still 17, it wouldn't have been the wisest choice. Cara had left her gang around 8:00 PM, and now it was 1:00 in the morning, and she was being pulled somewhere by Becky. Everyone else had long since left, hopefully with a designated driver.

"I want to go to sleep," Cara mumbled, drunkenly pulling away from Becky's grasp. Becky was Cara's designated driver; the sandy-haired girl loved to watch others drink and make fools of themselves, but was not much for carrying out these activities herself. She'd only had two sips of beer earlier, barely enough to get tipsy.

"No, Cari, a little ink is just what you need! For some reason, you're in an awful mood. And I believe this will cheer you right up." Becky was pulling on Cara's arm, and they stumbled into a tattoo shop.

_I hate it when you call me 'Cari'._ "You're an ass, Becky. ASS!" Cara pouted, stumbling into the waiting chair.

"Stop complain'."

Cara rolled her eyes as a large, tattooed, and very muscular woman came out of the back, and looked to the two. _Jesus! She could rival Big Bertha. _ "Just get over with," Cara relented.

"As you wish," smirked Becky.

The tattoo artist chewed loudly on some gum. "Will you both be getting a tattoo? Or just the one?"

"Both," replied Becky.

"Come with me, Blondie." The tattoo artist looked to Cara. "I'll have one of my others take care of you," she then addressed Becky.

Becky helped Cara up. "She's just really tired, but extra excited to get tatted up," the girl tried to explain away Cara's drunken state.

Cara followed the woman to the back, stumbling here and there.

IIII

"You want a tattoo of what?"

Cara was lying on a board held up by four wooden legs, and stared at some designs on the wall. She hadn't heard the artist's question, all she kept hearing was Kahlan's voice in her head saying, "_Don't touch me!_" That, and Becky's annoying statements about being depressed. _I'm not depressed!_ thought Cara, and sighed_._ "Ass-hat Kah...lan," she muttered. "Kahlan… Becks. They're...any...ever...all...both asses."

"Kahlan?" asked the well-built woman. "That's what you want? Where at?"

"Yes, Kahlan!" she shouted, and started mumbling in barely coherent words. "ASS!"

The tattoo artist chuckled. "Seems you're angry with this person. But if that's what you want..."

"Yes… Ass." Cara nodded.

"Your pants then. You'll need to remove them."

"Of course… Job... Kahlan wanna get into my pants. " Cara sat up and pulled her pants off, and stretched back out on her belly over the board. "I wouldn't...won't let her, though."

The tattoo artist giggled. _Either this kid is drunk, high, slow or just really tired like her friend said... Who knows? Isn't my place to judge_. The blond had the money and knew what she wanted; the artist was going to give her just that. _Going to have to get her to tell me how to spell this out first.. There are certain variations of it._ "Sounds, bad. I hope you're sure about this."

"Sure," Cara grumbled into the board, half-asleep.

IIII

It was 4:00 in the morning and Cara had a throbbing headache, lying on her bedroom floor. She was on her back, and all she knew was that she needed to get within the confines of her comfy bed now. But when she sat up, "Ow!" She gritted her teeth against the pain pulsating through her ass. "What the f- Arggh!" She remembered a little from last night, but was at a loss for what could be causing this sensation.

Cara got to her feet and walked to the long, wide, mirror placed atop the dresser next to her closet. The light was already on, so all she had to do was stand on her tippy toes, pull down her pants and remove the white patch taped to her left buttocks to examine the situation. When she did, to say she shrieked would be an understatement, and she hoped her mother had not heard.

Cara angrily marched to the cell phone placed on the desk to the side of her bed and used it to dial up Becky. Once she heard her friend pick up, she didn't waste any time at all expressing her anger. "What the hell, you bitch?" A tattoo? And on my ass?... And of that name... Are you insane, you goddamn bitch?"

"Well, good morning to you too, Cara," Becky sounded drowsy.

"It's not a good morning, and do you know why? Because for the start of the week, a school day, I have a tattoo on my ass! All red and blotchy around the edges of tender flesh... A tattoo of something... Of something I sure as hell would never request."

"The tattoo artist - god, she was a big, muscular woman - claimed to have many artistry skills, and said you requested it."

"The big, muscular woman of many artistry skills is wrong." _Although, I don't remember_. _So maybe..._

Becky yawned. "You agreed to get one, Cara. Agreed with me. At least you stuck to your guns and got one. I thought you'd chicken out. And I must say, I didn't know you'd gotten it on your ass," she giggled.

"You didn't?"

"No, you didn't show me. And when I asked to see, you mumbled something about me being an ass. Maybe the 'ass part' should have been my clue," she laughed.

"This isn't funny," Cara was beyond frustrated. "You got one too, right?"

"Yep."

"What of?"

"None your business," Becky closed her phone shut.

Cara stared at the phone with disbelief. _That bitch hung up._

Still half-exposed, she moved back to the mirror to stare at the marking. _Jesus! Some friend you are, Becky. I was drunk, for goodness sake. If the tattoo artist had been a man, I might been unknowingly raped or something... Ugh... Retarded-ass bitch._

IIII_  
_

Rachel O'Brien always took her dog out in the morning around 4:00 AM for a walk. She loved Shephard, and took great care of him. "Come on, boy," she stated, as she ran ahead just before dropping his leash to the street floor.

Yes, this morning would have been just like every other morning for Rachel, particularly around 5:00-ish, just moments before sunrise, if it weren't for the piercing wail she heard right before a large claw mauled her face as she turned to look for Shephard.

IIII

It was 6:00 AM, and Kahlan bobbed and weaved in the gym room of her house, angrily beating on the punching bag hanging from the ceiling before her. Her boxing gloves worked marvelously over the material. "Damn, Cara," she spat. "I don't need her, I don't."

The expansive room harbored almost every exercising tool available. Treadmills, weights, exercise balls, medicine balls, etc. either lined up against the wall or stacked in either of the four corners. The middle of the floor still allowed for much freedom to move around, its hard cement something Kahlan had specifically requested when acquiring the place. The sound of feet scuffling against this or any such rock-like surface always managed to center her. Which partly explained why she now stood barefoot in her own personalized gym, hair in a pony tale, body slick with sweat, and in her black sports bra and matching spandex shorts.

It was the one room where classic paintings did not exist. The one room where she figured thoughts of Cara would not run rampant. She was wrong.

"As if I need school," Kahlan gave the bag a hit with her left. "I' only enrolled to be near her," she gave the bag a hit with her right. "And now...not only does she not want me, she doesn't even desire me!"

Kahlan knew she shouldn't try to forget Cara by dating Bertha, but things had gotten so out of control. For the past week, the girl everyone called "Big Bertha" had sort of become an addiction for her. Bertha was so welcoming, so attentive, so sweet; it had been just what Kahlan needed that first day after the love spell put on Cara had worn off. Whether it had mostly been the love spell making Cara act that way, Kahlan still wasn't sure. But she knew it hurt like nothing else - to have Cara as hers for one moment and lost to her the next. She had thought that using Bertha the way she did would only be a one-time thing; she hadn't meant to spend so much time with the well-built, or rather over-built, woman, just for the sake of taking her mind off Cara. And now Bertha was calling her every other hour, wanting to "just hang out." It was clear to Kahlan that she herself wasn't the only one who had become addicted.

"And what the hell was that touch about?" she moved a gentle hand to her now completely healed thigh, then kneed the bag, oblivious to the angelic-like particles emerging behind her. "It was like what happened in a moment between our past selves... On the visuals with the Mord-Sith and Mother Confessor," she kneed the bag with her other leg. "So annoying!... Why does she have to touch me that way? Why?" Kahlan landed a two-hit combo, and the bag almost flew off it hinges.

"And who's feeling you up this time?" A form materialized out of thin air behind her.

Kahlan's eyes went big as she turned to view the intruder. "Asher!" she smiled wide, running to embrace the young one. Because he was a feet few shorter, she felt the need to bend over just to make the hug more genuine. "I see that transportation ring I gave you has worked wonders." She pulled back to smile even wider at him.

Unlike Blondes, Asher wore regular "kids clothes."... "Hip," and whatever was in style. His height was close to topping hers, hair sandy brown, eyes dark green, and he was twelve years of age, just one year away from being a full-grown Youngster. _Blondes is six, and doesn't seem to know nearly as much as Asher_, Kahlan grinned at the stubble on his face. He had a five o'clock shadow, no doubt due to cursing so much or some other "very adult" action. _These Youngsters_, mused Kahlan, _they're supposed to keep the Flamers with youthful thoughts - a more innocent perspective on things, as to break some of the cynicism that comes along with aging, so that Flamers can think things through more clearly. From every possible angle... And yet these two act more wise than they do young._ It was a perplexing topic to the brunette.

"Yes," Asher answered Kahlan's question. "Bottling a smidge of your power was an excellent idea. Helped me deliver those visuals to you that one time, didn't it? Pity it only works for Youngsters." He looked her over, making her turn from side to side as he examined her. "Now what is this I hear about someone touching you? You can hardly blame a person," he whistled. "Even sweaty - and a little musty - you're a sight for sore eyes."

Kahlan grinned, extracting her hand from the youth to move back toward the punching bag.

"Liking the technological advances made over the years, I see," he observed the room.

"I'm adjusting. These new world appliances are...something else."

"Indeed." Asher pulled up a chair from the table a few feet away to sit behind the secretive woman as she returned to her pummeling. "So... I hear all this crazy stuff on the news, about jocks choking on darts and girls attempting to jump off roofs. Seems the school isn't only known for its academics anymore."

"Spells," said Kahlan, with a hit to the bag.

"Interesting... And have you and your Flamer 'done the deed' yet? Is that who you were talking about before, when I arrived?"

"Yes, but not for the reason you're thinking," she blew dark hair out of her face with a punch to the bag. "The sexual aspect of the pull is gone between us, and, no, we haven't 'done the deed,'" Kahlan turned to him with a huff.

Asher appeared unsettled. "What? Kahlan, you know how important bedding her is, to her powers...and keeping the Flamer waves under control at all times." The creases in his forehead deepened. "What happened?"

"I know, I know," Kahlan started to discard her gloves. "It was that Dart of Vengeance Spell or whatever; it was cast on Cara, upped the sexual pull between us tenfold, and was then taken away." Kahlan sighed. "In order to restore Cara to herself, the power had to be pulled away from the one who cast the spell. Unfortunately, it pulled away 'the pull' with it - its sexual form at least," Kahlan threw the gloves to the floor. "She no longer desires me in that way."

Asher looked to the floor, hand under his chin. "Hmm. The Dart of Vengeance Spell, I've heard about that. Certainly isn't pretty."

"No."_ Except for when Cara tries to bed me_. Kahlan placed a hand on her hip and watched the floor as well.

"But, Kahlan, you act as though the sexual attraction between you is gone." He looked back up to her, and she returned his gaze. "The pull doesn't make one sexually attracted to another, I told you that. It only intensifies it. Cara would have to have been sexually attracted to you already, for the spell to have that kind of effect. Which means..."

"...She still wants me," Kahlan felt herself smile despite futile attempts not to. Asher was right. If the bond is platonic, the pull intensifies the platonic bond. If the bond is romantic/sexual, the pull intensifies the romantic/sexual direction. Kahlan had known this, but it had been so much easier to block this reality from her mind while trying to forget Cara for the past week.

"You don't have to worry about the bond only being platonic, because even now...she desires you; it's just buried under all the baggage I presume the young Mord-Sith is carrying around. In truth, the way the connection is between you now, it's a lot more natural."

"So this has happened between other Flamers and anchors before - losing the sexuaI pull due to magic?... If so, how do I get it back?" she eyed the Youngster with hope. "There is a way to get the sexual dynamic back, isn't there, Asher?"

Asher narrowed his eyes. "You want it back?"

Kahlan regarded him with annoyance, as though he'd gone insane. "Of course I do! It was a lot easier to get under Cara's skin, to get her to pay attention to me."

Asher laughed. "Well, there may or not be a way to get the romantic... ...sexual aspect of your pull back. I'm not certain if it's happened before - the losing it... But why not focus on building the sexual attraction that's already present between you? Natural buildup?"

Kahlan shook her head. "Because, as you said, it's buried." She tapped her foot. "But it's not buried for me... Asher, the spell rose both of our sexual pull levels, as I'm sure you can conclude, and mine is still high up there... Very high, while Cara can just relax and not worry about any of it."

Asher frowned. "Then unbury it. You want the Flamer, then you're going to have to work for it. The pull is not there to babysit you anymore. Spend more time with her, romance her, whatever you can. But get that bond back." He temporarily pointed a finger at her. "Touch is one of the most important aspects of the Flamer/Anchor bond. Touch her... Touch her a lot."

Kahlan looked to the floor once more, and folded her arms across her chest. "I watched the visuals you gave me, of Cara and I from many years ago." She sighed. "How can we be so different now? I... I recognize parts of myself in the Mother Confessor, and parts of Cara in the the Mord-Sith, but for the most part...we're like four different people."

"That's because you are..." He clasped his hands in front of him. "And you aren't," Asher's little eyebrows lifted. "Your personalities are different enough from your past lives, as the environment or environments we grow up in, and other ones we experience, have a lot to do with shaping the people we are. The old versions are somewhere within you, as your souls were reincarnated into new bodies. But you have new lives now."

"Why were we chosen to reunite in this way," pouted Kahlan, "where I'm much...much older than her, and she's just starting adulthood? Sometimes I feel positively ancient."

"Well, you are," smirked Asher, which earned him a pointed look from Kahlan. "But look at the bright side, you're both biologically 18. That's another excuse to want her as your mate. So I say, 'Screw chronology. And as for why you were reincarnated in this way, or even at all, I'm afraid I'm lacking the specifics on that as well. All the information is well-guarded by the main members of the Youngsters Circle. And as you know, all sixteen Youngsters, myself included, are a part of the Youngsters Circle but only a few of us have knowledge on the happenings that take place in the Home of the Youngsters where the main members preside."

"Stupid '16 only' rule. If there weren't so little of you, more of you could look over the Circle and -"

"-I've already told you why only sixteen of us exist at a time."

"Yeah, and part of it is that you are all passed around from Flamer to Flamer, which is exhausting if you ask me. There aren't enough of you to go around, but there could be, and because there aren't, you have to work overtime just to make up for the loss. I wonder how long Blondes will be with Cara, before he's gone too...off to the next big thing."

"Kahlan..."

"Okay," she relented, deciding to change the subject...only slightly. "But I'm still not sure what to make of an interaction I had with Cara last night. Cara healed my thigh in a way that was amazingly similar to a scene from the visuals."

"She did?" Asher rubbed the back of his neck. "Hmm. Either that spell you mentioned has awakened something in the Flamer or it's just your old selves occasionally communicating with you, which can happen with reincarnations; it's the reason you feel such a deep connection to her already." He looked at the long chain holding the punching bag in place. "I wouldn't worry about it. But just to be safe, I'll look into it."

_Hmm. I guess there are some things even Asher isn't sure of._ "But don't you have your own Flamer to attend to?" Kahlan looked concerned. "You know there aren't many of your kind."

"That, I do," Asher met her eyes. "But he's a dumb fellow. And I have matters to take care of here as well, such as talking with Cara's Youngster."

Kahlan looked to the ground sheepishly.

Asher knew that look. "Kahlan, you have revealed yourself to Blondes, haven't you?"

Kahlan looked up shrugging, "In a way... He's suspicious of me, but he doesn't know who I am just yet."

"Kahlan!" yelled Asher, coming to his feet. "There is no time for games. You and the Flamer can play 'secret lovers' on your own time, in your own bedroom, but this must not be the case for reality."

"I know!" she screamed back. "You think I don't truly want this? To be known as Cara's lover? Her confidante?" she raked hands through her fabulous, long hair. "I do, but you don't know how hard it's been for me. At least being her 'dirty little secret' has gotten me close to her."

Asher's face became soft and sorrowful. "Oh Kahlan..." He moved closer to place his small hands on hers. "You deserve better than this. Someone who'll cherish you and who won't make you feel like you're something to be ashamed of."

Tears started to form in her eyes just as her cell phone on the table behind Asher started to ring. Wiping at her face, she moved toward it. "It's Big Bertha... This girl I've been dating...to ease the hurt." She turned back to Asher, holding up the phone and downcasting her eyes for fear of what he would say.

"Big Bertha?" Asher turned up his nose. "Been to any lesbian strip clubs lately?"

Kahlan chuckled, eagerly sniffing away her uneasiness. Asher always did know how to lighten the mood.

He shrugged. "So what's it going to be, kid?... Cara...or this Big Bertha woman?"

Kahlan stared at the Youngster with much thought. She knew what she wanted to say, what everything in her being told her to say, but what she should say wasn't as clear.

IIII

Cara paced back and forth in her room, casting glances at the computer on the desk before her. It was to the right of her window, and the high-tech computer seemed to be calling out to her. There was still so much she didn't understand about homosexuality - about sexuality in general. Since last week, Gicko had teased her about her thoughts on bisexuality. "_But, Cara, let's just say the person prefers women sexually. If they're not bi, because their preference for women is so much stronger, are they gay? And if not gay, because they say they're a little attracted to men...then what the hell are they?_" he'd asked. He'd also teased her about the things she'd said while under the Dart of Vengeance Spell, especially tribbing. All she had said was "outercourse," but of course Gicko took that to mean "bumping uglies." Gicko loved to call it "scissoring," but from what Cara had learned from two lesbians she'd approached after a day of fighting..."Lesbians don't scissor. Not often anyway," they'd said, "But we do trib." Cara stopped and shook her head; she didn't know what they'd meant or how they could possibly speak for an entire group of women. _What's the difference between scissoring and tribbing? Aren't they the same thing?_

Cara sighed. Her ass was still sore from the tattoo, and she had been fighting the urge to research this tribbing matter and other lesbian practices on the Internet, but her interaction with Kahlan last night had brought it all back to the forefront. Kahlan had looked so beautiful whipping around the way she did, and Cara was certain she had "some sort of thing" for the brunette; she just didn't know what. The tattoo was now a constant reminder of this.

_Damn Dart of Vengeance Spell,_ she cursed_._ Cara's mind had never specified the sexual acts while under the spell; it was rather that she had sensed she would just know what to do... What to do with Kahlan when the time came... That she would be able to bring the brunette the most unbelievable pleasure. "Damn it all to hell," she remarked under her breath. She was having serious "pull withdrawals," if that's what it could be called. She'd thought that having the sexual aspect taken away from their bond would help matters, but here she was missing it. Missing Kahlan. Hyper coming over every day wasn't helping matters either. She was beginning to desire Hyper in a way that wasn't at all "friendly." _Maybe I started thinking about her like that before recently? _

"Screw it." Cara moved to the desk and sat down at the computer, instantly turning it on. She had to know the meaning of the things she'd said to Kahlan. And maybe knowing this stuff would take away the edge - wanting to be so lost in her desire for the raven-haired woman, so much so that nothing else mattered. She stared at the empty search engine screen. Researching matters was usually so easy for her, but it now seemed like a huge task._ Breathe, just breathe. And think. Typing the most gratuitous terms for it probably isn't the best way to go; I'll just get a lot of porn links, I'm sure of it. And I've only watched heterosexual porn. Am I really prepared for lesbian porn? Typing "homosexual sex" will probably just get me a lot of gay male links. Could be interesting to watch, but not what I'm looking for. _

_Ugh. I freakin' hate this. _

Looking down the page, she saw several categories already listed on the screen. Surfing further brought her to the sub-sub category "Sexuality," which entailed everything from sex products to legalities of sexual activity. She went to the page about practices and eyed the list, choosing "Lesbianism." Yes, I remember now, it's called Tribadism. _Ha, that rhymes,_ she smirked at the subcategory. Though to the side she saw...

...all sorts of things about the mouth, lips, teeth and fingers being used during sex. _Okay, I know what some of that is_,_ but this..._ She clicked on an unfamiliar option, and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets before urging her to click the mouse next to her as fast as she could, promptly taking her away from the imagery. _Won't be trying that crap any time soon,_ _that's for damn sure._ She inhaled deeply, then and exhaled at the realization of what she'd just thought._ Not any time soon? Like you're going to try any of this stuff to begin with. Well, okay, maybe a little on Bobby, but that's it... And certainly nothing on a woman._

Cara focused back on the screen and clicked on the "Tribadism" category - which came along with some medical information. Scanning the list of links, she knew she wasn't going to select the "Hard-Core Tribbing!" adds that popped up.

She chose the links to About dot com - Lesbian Sex Question and What is Tribadism - and finally the one to Wikipedia. She moved down the Wikipedia article, to the Sexual practices section: _Tribadism is a common sexual practice among lesbians and women who have sex with women. Though usually applied to the act of vulva-to-vulva stimulation, the term encompasses a variety of sexual activity._

"Oh, so that's what they meant. Tribbing and scissoring aren't necessarily identical. Scissoring is just one aspect of it." Cara scrunched up her nose, a wide smirk stretching across her lips. "God that looks awkward." _I think I'd prefer the missionary position. Would Kahlan?_ She shook her head at the brunette invading her thoughts yet again.

Cara's eyes scanned over the second paragraph. _Some lesbian and bisexual women object to the term "scissoring," as they do not partake in this particular aspect of the activity and attribute it more to the male fantasies of the heterosexual porn industry. Often times, "scissoring" is used as an umbrella term __for all genital-to-genital forms of tribadism, and many lesbian and bisexual women are unaware that some of the sexual acts they include in their lovemaking are aspects of tribadism, as tribadism is commonly omitted from mainstream sex research._

"Wow, okay, so I'm not alone in being uninformed." She continued on, seeing the next line:_ J__udith Halberstam, in her book Female masculinity, stated, "If we trace the use of the term forward into present, we find that tribadism is one of those rarely discussed but often practiced sexual activities, and the silence that surrounds it now is as puzzling as the discourse it produced in earlier centuries."_

Having heard about Wikipedia not being the most trust-worthy source, even with some of the site's articles being well-guarded by "vandalism-watchdogs," Cara decided to go to Google Books. _Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity_ and_ Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender aging: research and clinical perspectives _provided her with good information on the topic, but repeated some of what the Wikipedia article stated. _Perhaps, because Wikipedia is using these same sources_? _Sigh._ _Porn can take care of the specifics, but for now..._

She found herself looking over the acts more typically associated with lesbianism. She felt more at ease looking over this stuff, really. Tribbing seemed dangerous...for a reason she recalled earlier on... On that first day she'd talked with Kahlan about "the pull," Kahlan had been on the verge of explaining how Cara would need to impregnate her. Thinking over it now, Cara was pretty sure it had something to do with that tribbing stuff. _It truly is the only act which would allow our sexual organs to touch,_ she rubbed the back of her neck_._ _I'm pretty sure "the Flamer sperm" won't be shooting out of my fingers._

_Ugh_. Just the thought of having "wannabe sperm," _or whatever the hell it's called_, floating around in her nether regions was enough to make Cara hurl. _Kahlan will not be making a baby with me any time soon,_ she stood. Then it occurred to her that she was even considering the idea of having sex, or making babies, with Kahlan.

She cleared the screen and cut off the monitor. "Time for school."

IIII

Many people flooded the D'Hara High School campus, loud buses moving along, and even louder cars blaring due to the various teenage drivers.

On the school's porch area, Blondes, Gicko and Hyper walked along.

"And so you are certain?" asked Blondes, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Yes," replied Hyper, using a cloth to clean her glasses. And as she did, Gicko admired how gorgeous she looked without them on. "We can't find anything on Kahlan. The holographic libraries bring up nothing about her."

"We told you this last week, Blondes," Gicko added, adjusting the backpack over his shoulder. "And yet you keep asking, as though the outcome will change. You've checked the matter out yourself. You know the deal."

"I keep asking," Blondes narrowed his eyes, "because it's quite odd, and it has to change. There are even homeless people with information in there about them, and yet there is nothing on this transfer student Kahlan Amnell...except what is already stated about her in the school records - that she is a damn transfer student."

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't say 'damn,'" Gicko teased.

"Shh. Here comes Cara," Hyper nodded in her friend's direction, and all three stopped as they watched Cara approach with a somber look on her face.

Gicko took in the sight of the black leather skirt the blond had on. That, and the red and gray striped V-neck to go along with it. It showed her breasts off nicely. The Mord-Sith still had on tennis shoes, but Gicko couldn't very well expect her to be a Kahlan clone. Besides, Cara really was more like a sister to him. He knew she was good-looking, but it was creepy to think of her in a sexual way. "Cara in a skirt? Wow. When's the last time I've seen this?"

Cara stopped in front of them, pulling the few books in her arms to her chest. "Yes, well, gotta try something different every now and then." _Something that doesn't agitate my sore ass._

"You look a little tired too," stated Hyper, adjusting her glasses in their best possible position - just a little off her nose. "Aren't you going to tell us where you went last night?"

Cara cocked her head. "Seeing as I don't even tell my mother where I'm going most of the time...uh, no."

"I'll be seeing you young ones later," stated Blondes, backing up.

"Where you off to?" Gicko pondered.

"See Cara's answer for why there's no need to tell you," Blondes offered them his back and continued on.

Hyper threw a hand up in his direction. "He's just pissed because he felt you were reckless last night."

Cara shrugged. "Don't care."

"Tanya Livingston." Gicko eyed a red-haired girl some feet away passing out small, square pieces of paper to a few, honored and selected. The girl was stunningly beautiful; long, red hair cascading down her back, pale and freckled skin, with rosy red lips and a nice profile to her chin. Her eyes were as green as Cara's, and her outfit just as seductive. The red-head was wearing a tight, white T-shirt, extremely short booty shorts, and bright white tennis shoes. "Inviting people to some slumber party she's throwing apparently. Even guys are invited. She's being real discreet about it, though, for fear of teachers and other such authority-figures finding out."

"Not discreet enough to keep the news about it from spreading among the students like wild fire," Hyper interjected, "but it works... How come we've never heard about her until now?"

"Because she was on some sort of vacation. With you and Gicko being new, I suppose you wouldn't know the slut. " Cara rolled her eyes as she watched the girl lightly kiss a boy on the cheek. "I never did like the bitch. She was always trying to uproot me as Queen B."

Hyper giggled. "And of course we couldn't have any uprooting of the great Cara Mason as Queen B," she aimed sarcastically. "Not unless the person is named Kahlan Amnell."

Cara looked to her blonde friend with a most prominent scowl. Hyper just giggled.

"I bumped into her about ten minutes ago, you know. She introduced herself and pretty much said, _'Oh, Gicko Danes, I've heard of you...rather your sexual exploits. You're cute enough, but I hate your name so you won't be attending my party.'"_

Cara and Hyper burst out laughing. "What sexual exploits?" Cara snickered.

"I have you know my sexual prowess has become legendary."

Cara and Hyper laughed even harder. "Gicko Danes. You have to admit, you have a pretty messed up name," Hyper playfully hit him on the back.

"Oh...like your name is any better. Hyper Lorraine O'Connor," he folded his arms across his chest.

"Yes, but my real name isn't Hyper. You, on the other hand, are clearly named Gicko Danes." Cara and Hyper laughed some more.

Just then, a tall, pretty girl, with long brown hair and light brown eyes, approached Hyper.

Stepping right in between Cara and Gicko, the girl, with her cloak-like material reaching all the way down to her hidden feet, and a devilish twinkle in her eye, beamed as she removed Hyper's glasses. She then licked them. "Yummy," she said, in the most seductive of ways, before placing the glasses right back on Hyper's face and then simply walking away.

Cara and Gicko had their best "WTF" faces on.

"The hell?" Cara watched the girl retreat down the path leading to the school entrance.

"See...that's why I like this school," Gicko raised a finger. "Weird, girl-on-girl action at every turn."

Hyper remained stiff, blushing ten shades of red.

IIII

In a hallway, Kahlan saw Cara stuffing a few books into a locker as she approached. She was at first awestruck. Seeing Cara in a skirt was not something she'd expected, and it took her breath away to have in-person visuals of what those strong thighs and legs looked like. She regained her composure well enough. "Hi," she spoke to the blond's side.

Cara was still digging for something in her locker, but looked at the brunette. She then rolled her eyes. "What do you want?" Her gaze returned to its task.

"I'm sorry," Kahlan breathed.

"Whatever," shrugged Cara, retrieving her Social Studies book. _Did I really have to take Social Studies this year? More specifically, World history? At least I don't have Mr. Tanner's class this morning. And what the f**k does Kahlan want?_

_"_Come to my house for dinner tonight."

"What?" Cara turned to her, closing her locker door.

"To make up for the way I treated you last night."

"Look... Kahlan," Cara started, noticing that the anchor uncharacteristically had on form-fitting slacks to go along with her black, high heels and a dressy, black V plunge top. _Guess I'm not the only one giving new styles a try,_ she smirked_._ The swell of Kahlan's breasts temporarily caught her eye and she felt herself heat up. _Calm down. You're not turned on, right? It's just Kahlan. Your anchor - all about duty. Remember?  
_

"Please," Kahlan stepped closer, all in Cara's personal space. She touched a hand to the Mord-Sith's chin and lifted that emerald gaze to her own. "I want to cook for you."

_Cook for me?_ "But I don't even -"

" - I'm well aware that you don't know where I live. And since we're not together, that's not going to change. But I could drop by your house, around seven, and pick you up? We could talk over last night's events - what happened between us."

Cara was frozen in Kahlan's hold. _Last night's events._ "You mean you would teleport us?" She tried to keep the subject on track.

"Yes, Cara, I mean teleport."

"You've been avoiding me."

"I know."

Cara was finally able to take a step back. "Well... I... Okay... But Gicko and Hyper -"

"I want you alone."

"Of - of course," Cara gulped, flustered at the way Kahlan uttered the line.

They were interrupted by a chipper voice, however. "There you two are." It was Tanya.

She smiled wide before them, and they turned to face the distraction.

"This is for you," the red-head girl handed a slumber party invitation to Cara. "And this is for you," she handed one to Kahlan.

Cara was tempted to ball it up.

"For two people who supposedly hate each other, you seem quite comfortable if you ask me." Tanya's eyes lit up with mischief.

There it was again. The other reason Cara hated the red-head - she'd often insinuated Cara had a sexual interest in girls. _If I'm open to the idea of screwing a girl, no doubt Cara is as well, _she'd often said. _Maybe she'd even like to screw me,_ the teasing would continue.

How the annoying bitch had managed to stay so popular with such gay statements as that in such a homophobic environment as this, Cara wasn't sure. _It must have been the majority of heterosexual males keeping her up in the ranks_. Whatever the case, Tanya and Kahlan had succeeded where it seemed most girls wouldn't at D'Hara High.

"I want you both there. Together. Cara knows the deal - I don't like her much, if at all, but most of the school does." She turned her eyes to Kahlan. "Which seems to be the same case for you...new girl."

Tanya moved out of their space and down the hall. "Toodles," she called out over her shoulder. "And don't be late. Tomorrow night!"

"To hell with her," Cara gathered her school utensils to her chest. "Look," Cara started to back away. "I'll talk with you later, Kahlan... Tonight."

Kahlan watched her mate turn her back on her and continue walking. She hadn't really been focusing on Tanya.

_Cara...I'm so hooked on you._

"That bitch bothering you again?" came a deep voice from behind her.

A little startled, Kahlan turned to see Big Bertha narrowing her eyes in the way of Cara's departure.

"No, everything's fine, seriously."

Bertha watched until Cara was out of sight, then looked down to Kahlan with a huge smile. This somehow made Kahlan all the more aware of the other woman's height; Big Bertha was still two inches taller than she was, even with high heels on.

"Good," because there's something I've been meaning to do with you ever since I woke up this morning. She grabbed Kahlan by the arm and pulled her along.

"But, Bertha... The bell's about to ring," Kahlan almost whined.

Bertha pulled Kahlan into the nearest, empty bathroom and out of the sight of curious eyes. "You are so hot, Kahlan... Very," she nibbled briefly at Kahlan's throat, and ushered the brunette into the end stall, locking the door behind them.

Kahlan let Bertha's strong hands pull them against each other and travel up and down her slack-clad hips. "I know you said you weren't...aren't...ready for us...to, you know..." She kissed Kahlan roughly. "And we aren't exactly 'out' as a couple... "But I want you so badly, Kahlan. You've infected me... It's like... Like..." She pulled the other woman's arms around her neck.

Kahlan was hungry for bodily contact. She'd told Cara of this. And, still, the blond had done nothing about it. If she could continue to date Bobby, why shouldn't Kahlan continue to date Big Bertha? It wasn't Big Bertha's fault that she didn't find the muscular woman particularly attractive. That they hadn't even had sex yet because of this, as well as her secret hope that Cara would eventually come around...change her mind. But Bertha was a warm body, offering such intimacy, and a warm body is exactly what Kahlan needed.

She let Big Bertha pull her into a passionate, open mouthed kiss, and ran hands along the woman's flannel-clad back in turn. Then finally dipped her eager digits into Bertha's short, spikey mane of brown hair.

"You want me, don't you, Kahlan?"

"Yes," Kahlan lied.

IIII

In a World history class, the only class Cara, Gicko and Hyper shared together, students listened as the teacher spoke of something about Irish mythology. _"__The Metrical Dindshenchas is the great onomastic work of early Ireland, giving the naming legends of significant places in a sequence of poems," _he'd said. The girl who'd "assaulted" Hyper was also there, sitting right next to Hyper in front of the class. Turns out she was a new student.

"Yes, Ms. Gale?" The teacher had asked the class to name some other aspects of Irish mythology, and the girl had raised her hand. "The Banshee."

"Oh, excellent!" The teacher, his balding, gray hair flapping a bit at the sides as he spun to the dry erase board to write down the suggestion. "And since Ms. Gale probably knows all about it, would anyone else be willing to state a bit on the subject of banshees in Irish folklore?"

The girl, Amber Gale, looked across to Hyper, her long eyelashes batting the blonde's way. "If I may interject, perhaps Hyper O'Connor can answer for us," she grinned.

Hyper's eyes widened. _Uh..._

Cara and Gicko, seated in the middle of the class, looked to each other and then back to Hyper.

_"_Yes. Ms. O'Connor, perhaps you'd like to take a stab at it?"

Hyper slowly drew her face from Amber's direction and focused on the teacher, Mr. Rambone. The kids called him Mr. Rambo, for short, even though he and his his pudgy belly were as far away from the typical Rambo resemblance as they could get.

"I know that...in Irish legend, a banshee wails nearby if someone is about to die," Hyper hurriedly answered.

"Impressive," Amber smiled in a sarcastic manner, one hand lazily under her chin as she eyeballed Hyper. "But not impressive enough... Maybe next time you could enlighten us all on sex in the age of trade and colonies, its many sexual practices and accompanying whores, all in just one line."

The class snickered.

Hyper frowned, pouting quite prominently.

Cara and Gicko tried to keep their own giggles under control. "Seems Hyper has a rival," Cara observed with barely a chuckle.

"Shush, shush," Mr. Rambone waved his humored class back in check.

IIII

Cara, Gicko and Hyper walked down a corridor, Hyper complaining at every chance about Amber.

"Who does she think she is anyway?" Hyper asked her friends. "She appears out of nowhere, basically assaults me in front of the school, and then decides to embarrass me further all just because I simplified an extensive topic. God, I hate her already."

"Someone doth protest too much," Gicko teased, nudging Hyper with an arm. The girl stood between himself and Cara, and was not in the mood for jokes.

"And, anyway, Hype... I can call you Hype, right?" Cara smirked. "Why didn't you answer the questions more thoroughly there? You've studied plenty of topics. In fact, I've never seen you miss a beat on any academic topic in particular."

"So sue me," Hyper hugged her books close," I never studied Irish mythology. I don't know everything. And as if Irish mythology has anything to do with real academics anyway."

"Hey, Baby." Bobby appeared behind Cara, holding her tight.

Gicko and Hyper rolled their eyes.

"Hey back at you," she turned to her boyfriend with a smile. "And what is this?" She saw a small, square, black object in his hands and reached for it.

"My mini TV. There's a local college, basketball game going on right now. Damn news interrupted, and -"

"Shh," Cara focused in on what the newswoman on the screen was saying as she adjusted the TV in her hands. The concerned look on Cara's face caused Gicko and Hyper to gather closer, as they all listened in:

"...Her body was mutilated - torn to shreds as if by claws - said authorities of the young, 20-something found near Alberney Lane just south of Elite Highway," the newswoman reported. "Tattoo-like marks adorned her remains, but relatives of the victim say she was 'strongly opposed to getting ink." Detectives are unsure of whether to classify the incident as 'a wild animal attack.' ... 'There aren't any wild animals for miles around these parts', stated one officer."

Cara looked up from the screen, gaze meeting Gicko's and Hyper's. They all knew this was no "wild animal attack."


	9. PART 2 OF EPISODE 3

**Note: This is the censored version. **The harshest curse words are bleeped out or changed completely because this version is PG-13/TV-14. Some of the language/actions, such as the **slumber party intimacy scene**, have also been tamed a bit. The uncensored version can be found at LiveJournal under this same title/same user name. For this update, the LiveJournal version also has pictures/links regarding certain parts, such as the lingerie Cara and Kahlan are to wear, which may enhance the story for you.

**ACT 2**

"So what do you think could have done this, Blondes? Give me something here. Are we missing the beginning of our next class for any valid reason?" Cara stood in front the of the Youngster; he looked to the ground with a hand rubbing his scruffy beard.

"We've missed enough class," Hyper pouted, sitting on one of the the playground table-benches beside Gicko.

"They said she had tattoos she'd never had before all over her body." Gicko watched Blondes as well.

"I don't know," he answered them. "But there is this," he held up a photograph. "It's a picture of the girl's tattoos. Well, one rather. Apparently, the same tattoo was repeated all over the corpse."

Cara snatched the photograph from Blondes's hands, and Gicko and Hyper rushed to view it as well. _Is this her back?_

"Yes, that's her back," answered Blondes, as if reading Cara's mind. "The only part of the victim that wasn't shredded. The other parts had pieces that resembled the marking."

"How'd you get a hold of this?" asked Cara.

"I have my ways," Blondes was indifferent.

"Sick!" Stated Gicko, assessing the image of the long, curly-haired female creature with scales and wings, in an upright fetal position, and which looked to be hollering something. "What is it?"

"Damned if I know," replied Blondes. "But putting it through the holographic scanner should bring up something eventually."

"Scary," stated Hyper, backing away a little.

"This tattoo is definitely suspect," stated Cara, frowning a bit. "I at first suspected a zombie. But they wouldn't take the time to mangle a body so badly."

"Not unless they wanted to prove a point. Send a message, in a way," Blondes raked a hand through his dark hair. "Perhaps King Zombie is restless. He and his minions were inactive for two weeks - two weeks and a couple of days - and now that that's over, things like this are happening."

"So what do we do?" queried Gicko.

"There's nothing we can do," replied Blondes, "except research. We don't have enough information to know what we're dealing with here. And visiting the victim's relatives at this stage would be premature. You should all stay away from the scene for now."

IIII

At 7:04 PM, Cara sat on her bed as Kahlan appeared in the room before her window. She looked up to the brunette with stoic eyes.

"I...heard about the death of the girl... The 20-year-old." Kahlan looked nervous. "Is this a bad time? Should we reschedule?"

Cara noticed Kahlan's attire - how she was dressed in a simple pair of jeans and white T-shirt. A tight pair of simple jeans and even tighter white T-shirt albeit, but it was still uncharacteristic of her usual wear. Her little, fluffy pink boots were also adorable.

"Having a style crisis?" Cara stood with a smile, gesturing toward Kahlan's outfit.

Kahlan looked down at herself. "Oh."

"We match, you know." Cara looked to her own white tank top and jeans, completed by leather boots.

Kahlan looked up to Cara and grinned shyly. "It's just something new I'm trying...on occasion...to gain more perspective on...things."

"You sure it's not just a ploy to win me over?" Cara's eyes were playful...daring.

Kahlan blushed.

"Come on," Cara held out her hand. "I said I'd come to your house tonight for dinner, and I meant it."

Kahlan slowly stepped to the other woman and took her hand. And they were gone.

IIII

Cara and Kahlan materialized in Kahlan's living room. Just like last time, there was a leather couch somewhat center-position in the room. What looked like a bar in front of an open-view kitchen was still some feet away before them. The pool table (to the left) and a record player (to the right), accompanied by a shelf full of various albums, were still there. The stairs leading upward, with a table full of fresh roses to its side, remained present behind them, and the walls remained decorated with classic-like paintings, topped off by the sparkling chandelier in the ceiling's center. But unlike last time, there was now a large, flat screen TV propped up on a table a few feet away in front of the couch.

Cara and Kahlan were embraced awkwardly beside the television, and suddenly pulled apart.

"Oh, I got you this, as sort of a 'thank you' for tonight...but mostly for saving my life and anchoring me," Cara pulled out a "couples necklace," dangling it before Kahlan's eyes. "It's a two-partner necklace. Designed to match up against a second piece. See how this one here has the letter K engraved into it?" She showed off the end of the necklace she already had on. "I'm wearing the other half. The C initial," she grinned. "And don't worry, it's not too cheap either. Just a little over $140 bucks, for the designs and engravings to boot. And it's not Bobby's money. I used some of the left-over money I received from selling one of my motorcycles months ago... I know that jewelry can't make up for life-saving business, but I figured the necklaces were kind of cool...and..." She grinned even wider. "CK, like Clark Kent."

"Like Cara and Kahlan," the brunette gently took the necklace from Cara's hand. The piece was half-a-heart shaped, silver, and decorated with fiery designs. Cara might try and underplay the significance of the initials, but Kahlan wasn't up for any such pretenses.

"Or that," Cara replied sheepishly. "Here, let me help you," she moved to Kahlan, brushing brilliant, wavy black hair away from pale, slender shoulders as she locked the jewelry around the other woman's neck. "You looked great fighting out there...the way you did."

Kahlan thought she felt herself die a little at Cara's fingertips grazing her skin and then lingering there.

Cara moved back and smiled. "There... It suits you... Us."

Kahlan stared blankly, unable to make sense of this or anything about their current relationship. "You shouldn't have," was all she could say. _Great, Kahlan...just throw out all the __clichéd lines, _she scolded herself.

"Yeah, well, I did," Cara stuck her hands into her pockets, sniffing the air around her. "Something smells good," she looked over Kahlan's shoulder to the open-view kitchen.

Kahlan looked behind her and chuckled. "Oh, you think that's the kitchen?" She turned back to Cara. "Let me show you the real kitchen."

IIII

They appeared in a large room showcasing blinding white walls and cabinets. The ceiling was decorated with small, metal, spider-like chandeliers sporting oval-shaped lights, and the counters were wooden-covered, while the wooden floor was polished to perfection. Grass plants sat about in various spots. And the room had two, large, round tables, and one small one, with curved chairs; they were arm-less, and a bit advanced-looking.

"Hmm. Nice." Cara looked around. I expected it to be fancier, but...still very nice."

"It was fancier," Kahlan looked around beside Cara,"but I toned it down a bit."

"I've been meaning to ask, do you live alone? How can you afford this place?"

"I live alone, yes. As for payment, that'll remain my little secret," she smiled.

"Why do you have two kitchens? And why isn't anything on the stove," Cara looked to her left at the empty area.

"Because that's not the stove I'm using," Kahlan moved ahead, going to the second stove a little farther away. Steaming pots existed on this one, and Kahlan checked on a few things.

"Okay, how come you have two stoves?"

Kahlan giggled.

Cara moved up behind Kahlan, looking over her shoulder to watch her stir something. "What are we having?"

"Creamy linguini with shrimp, tangy & creamy Caesar salad...and Strawberry Tiramisu."

"I love shrimp."

"I know." _Asher told me._

"A lot of creaminess this evening," Cara smirked.

Kahlan chuckled, "Yeah, I guess so. I just knew I wanted some type of seafood prepared for dinner. You may not like sushi, but I figured that couldn't apply for all underwater life."

"Really?" Cara was humored. "You know me so well, huh? And what's Strawberry Tiramisu?"

Kahlan looked over her shoulder. "You'll see." She offered Cara a spoon full of creamy linguini. Cara blew on it a bit before taking it into her mouth, eyeing Kahlan the whole time. The brunette only remained slightly turned to her. "How's that taste?"

Cara licked her lips...slowly. "Good, Kahlan... Very good."

Kahlan caught herself lusting after those lips, and swiftly turned back to the pots to stir. "Good." _Cara just said 'Good,' you idiot._ _You couldn't think of something else to say?_

Cara stood right where she was, not even attempting to move. Being behind Kahlan like this felt so unbelievably intoxicating. A part of her even wanted to bend Kahlan over. _Eh? Bend Kahlan over? ... Must be a latent part of 'the pull' still dangling somewhere around. _

"A pinch of salt here," stated Kahlan, then turning off the stove.

"Does either of these recipes really require a pinch of salt?"

"No, I just always wanted to say that," Kahlan turned to the blond with a sly grin.

They both laughed, looking down the lengths of each other's body every now and then.

"While this stuff cools down, let's say I give you a tour of my home?"

Cara shrugged. "Whatever."

Kahlan mocked her. "_Whatever, whatever... S_o indifferent, Ms. Mason...slash Pyro."

Cara rolled her eyes, and Kahlan pulled her closer, taking them away.

IIII

Kahlan showed off just about every aspect of her home, and she did so in a flash. The guest rooms, study rooms, exercise rooms, relaxation rooms (for massages and the like), the two basement areas, along with the bathrooms.

Kahlan did not show Cara her huge pool area out back or the spa, for worry of Cara finding out where it is she lives. For this reason, she also kept the Mord-Sith away from the windows.

And now they were in Kahlan's huge library. It was a typical library of modern times, with computers and such...just a lot cleaner than any Cara had ever seen.

"You like reading a lot, huh, Kahlan?" Cara flipped through a book.

"I do..." Kahlan looked over from where she was examining her own piece of literature. "All the stuff you hear about it - reading taking you on this amazing adventure, to another world, environment and time... It's like that for me. I love it."

"Eh," Cara put the book back on the shelf.

"Eh?" Kahlan smiled. "And what do you read? Given your honor student status and excellent take on mathematics, I don't doubt that you have read controversial pieces such as _Ulysses _and _Finnegans Wake._"

"Comic books."

"Comic books?" Kahlan turned fully to Cara.

"Comic books, sex books, car books, motorcycle books... Stuff like that."

Kahlan arched an eyebrow. "Sex books?"

_Just the heterosexual ones, and it was pretty vanilla. Nothing kinky at all._ Cara arched one back. "Your room."

"My -"

"- You showed me plenty of bedrooms, but not yours specifically - the one you sleep in every night. I think it's only fair that since you get to see my bedroom, I get to see yours."

_Plenty? It was only five._ Kahlan put her book down and crossed her arms. She paused for a moment, then playfully tapped her foot against the rug. "You have some nerve."

Cara folded her arms in response, then stepped closer to the brunette, just a foot away. She didn't speak, only watched. Observing what Kahlan would do next.

"Maybe another time. Right now, we have dinner to attend to... Hopefully it hasn't gotten cold."

Cara just smirked.

IIII

They sat at opposite ends of the small table, eating the dinner Kahlan had prepared.

"You're a good cook," said Cara, scooping a fork full of the linguini into her mouth. "And this Strawberry Tiramisu is sick!"

"Sick?" Kahlan drank from a wine glass, eyeing Cara intently.

"It means 'good,' Kahlan," Cara clarified, feigning annoyance as she waved her fork around. "Where are you from anyway, a foreign country?"

Kahlan laughed. "Thank you for the compliment. But as for not understanding your teen-speak -"

"- It's not just teen-speak.'

"Really?"

_On to something else._ "My Youngster, you know...he can't find any information on you."

"That's because I had it taken care of."

"And you were fighting in the woods alone last night because...?"

"An anchor must anchor the Flamer. Your powers will never be 100 percent in line because of..." Kahlan tried to remain indifferent. "I knew where you'd be because of tracking - an aspect of the bond that can alert anchors to the use of their Flamer's powers. I needed to be there in case you lost control. I avoided you because things had become...awkward between us. Not to mention, your crew is still unaware of my true identity. "

"I'm unaware of your true identity," Cara mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Answer me this, Kahlan...since you're immortal, do you really need to eat?"

_She's still so quick at changing subjects. _"We don't have to eat as often as normal humans, no. Every six years is enough to -"

"- Every six years?" Cara nearly choked on her food.

"I eat, Cara, because eating is fun." _In more ways than one_. "And we don't have to worry about expelling wastes from our bodies, as our systems absorb the -"

"- Um, eating," Cara pointed to her meal, alerting Kahlan to the inappropriateness of the current subject.

"You asked," Kahlan smirked, taking another sip of her beverage.

"I asked?" Cara rolled her eyes. "Okay, since I asked, and you seem so eager to answer questions... Why can't I have any wine?"

"Because you're underage."

"Last time I checked, you're underage too. 18 to be exact."

"Only -"

"- Biologically counts even more," Cara gulped down her can of orange soda. "Why do you think they ban teenagers here in the U.S. from drinking? It's reportedly because our minds are still developing... The cognitive area of the human brain is not finished developing until we're 24 or 25... Some bullsh** like that. Not sure why 21-year-olds are allowed to drink then."

Kahlan smirked and put her glass of alcohol down. "Fine. I won't drink anymore tonight."

"That's more like it," Cara dug into her Caesar salad.

"You know..." Kahlan started, "Tanya wants us to go to the slumber party together," Kahlan tried to look casual about it, picking through the Strawberry Tiramisu to her left.

"And I hate the bitch... So what's your point?"

"Do you still hate me?"

Cara looked up from her plate. _What are you fishing for, Kahlan?_ She twirled her tongue against her cheek, then looked to Kahlan as though the brunette were an insect. "Yes."

Kahlan laughed. "And do you always give gifts to the people you hate?"

"Only the special ones," Cara's eyes faltered to Kahlan's bosom, then back to her humored expression.

"My point is..." Kahlan looked to her linguini... _Was Cara just eyeing my breasts? _"...since you seem to hate me less, maybe we should attend together... As she requested?"

Cara shrugged. Then started to finish her meal. "Could be interesting."

"It's settled then."

"There'll be alcohol there too."

"Then I suppose I'll just have to monitor you there as well." Kahlan grinned.

IIII

Cara sat on the couch, in front of the television screen. She and Kahlan had watched various car racing shows, reality shows, certain segments of the local news, and bits of the most popular animal channels; Kahlan had wanted to see kittens.

After a night filled with lingering stares and even more lingering touches, the last thing Cara wanted to do was dance with Kahlan, especially at 1:00 AM. But the brunette had turned on some classical music. _La Gioconda: Act I, Preludio,_ and was calling her out.

"Come on, Cara," Kahlan clapped her hands behind the couch. "Perhaps you just don't know what to do with yourself when this type of music is on. What is it you said you listen to? Rap, Rock, a little bit of R&B and Pop...but no Country? Hmmm, I see Classical is missing from that list."

"If you're going to clap, then clap with a beat." Cara scowled and jumped to her feet as she spun to her challenger.

Kahlan dashed toward the pool table, leaning against it as she regarded Cara with playfulness in her eyes. "Classical music doesn't have a beat."

"Why are you running?" Cara made an innocent gesture.

"Because you look scary."

"I'm not... I promise." She held out her left hand. "Let's waltz."

Kahlan cocked her head at the Mord-Sith. "You cannot be serious. I can waltz, but you -"

"- I am. And you don't know what I can do."

Kahlan stepped into Cara's personal space and Cara pulled the other woman against her...hard. Kahlan's breath hitched, and she tried to focus on anything else beside her body pressing into Cara's.

"The waltz, like other ballroom dances are danced in what is known as a 'closed hold.' You get into a closed hold like this," stated Cara. She stood with her weight on her right foot. "Then, the woman takes up position which is slightly offset to her left of the man."

Kahlan chuckled. "Oh, so you're the man in this relationship, are you?"

"Something like that," Cara grinned devilishly. "The proper hold is full body contact along the woman's right side - but for a social dancer, it's fine not to be in full contact."

Cara allowed it so that Kahlan rested her left hand on Cara's upper left arm, and Cara placed her right arm on Kahlan's shoulder blade.

Kahlan flushed a bit, staring into Cara's eyes.

"You've turned red, Anchor-Woman."

Kahlan giggled. "Not likely.

"So you lie too?"

"No, I -"

"-Waltz music has three beats to the bar." They danced around the floor in the anti-clockwise direction, the classical music playing in the background somewhat assisting them. "Whatever else happens don't go in the wrong direction," Cara teased.

As Cara led, Kahlan followed but seemed to enhance Cara's every movement.

"You do the opposite: I go forward right - you back right," Cara added. "The first beat is the driving step. I should normally start forward left-foot."

The second step was right-foot sideways - to the right, and Kahlan giggled as Cara seemed to spin her. The third step was the left foot closing to the right foot and lowering, preparing to start forward right. Over the three steps, Cara made a 1/4 turn, then stepped forward again on beat one - forward right foot, side left, right foot closed to left foot and changed weight - finally pulling Kahlan into her once more. She tried to hide the groan threatening to escape from her lips as Kahlan's breasts rubbed sensually against her own.

Kahlan watched Cara's eyes with awe and unsettled amazement. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Cara Mason Pyro?"

Cara simply smiled. "There are many things you don't know about me, Kahlan Amnell."

IIII

Ten minutes later, they sat on the couch. Cara was doing her best to ignore the penetrating look Kahlan was giving her, as well as how languidly Kahlan was playing with her hair.

"You ever thought about cutting it? To a little below shoulder length?" asked Kahlan, thinking of the Cara Mason from the visuals provided to her by Asher.

"All the time," Cara kept her eyes on the current television program. "Not sure why, though."

_I know why, but I definitely prefer you, Cara. The Cara in the here and now. _Kahlan had thought about showing Cara the visuals, but she didn't want to spook the young Mord-Sith. Tonight was about them, not their former selves.

"Tell me something about yourself... You say there are many things I don't know about you... Like what?" Kahlan twirled a strand of Cara's hair around her finger.

"I..." Cara gulped, eyes still fixated on the screen._ It's probably best she doesn't know that I draw. _"Well, take for example, when I was little. Gicko was the worst little monster. As you know...from what I told you the first time we..." Cara chose her words carefully, "went out together... I grew up with him, partially raised by his mother. And, okay...sometimes I would be minding my own business, just playing outside like normal kids do, and then Gicko's retarded ass would come over and kick sand on me. Run his little ass off afterward. And because he knew I was going to pummel that little ass for payback, he'd sometimes beat me to the punch... Lie about it to my or his mom and say I hit him first. Needless to say, I'd get in trouble instead," Cara smirked. "Either that, or he'd just frame my ass completely."

Kahlan giggled._ Cara sure says 'ass' a lot._

"A real asshole," Cara shook her head. Kahlan laughed harder.

It took a few moments for the brunette to get herself under control. _Adorable._

"And your father... he left you an inheritance, but you gave it away to charity?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it. That happened years later, once he and my mother were much older, and anyway..." Cara turned to Kahlan. "Why don't you tell me something about yourself? How old are you, really? Chronologically-speaking?"

Kahlan removed her fingers from Cara's hair and looked to the floor. "Cara...as your anchor, I am required to know as much about you as possible. Our power is used for the Flamer... But for you...well..."

"What? I don't get to know anything about you or your past? You're just supposed to remain all secretive and mysterious forever?"

"I didn't say that," Kahlan looked up to face her. "But we...we aren't together in 'that way'... And... As a platonic partnership, I'd rather you not know more."

Cara turned to the screen with a frown.

There was silence.

Then more silence.

"I want to go home," Cara balled her fist.

"But, Cara -"

"It's late - I want to go home now."

Kahlan sighed and moved just a little closer to her mate. "Then know that I had fun tonight...Cara." _On our second date._

IIII**  
**

Gicko and Hyper knelt behind some bushes looking at the crime scene of Rachel O'Brien, the murdered girl they'd discussed earlier. They had been staring at the barricade tape **Police Line - Do Not Cross** for the longest now, since 8:30 PM. As it was currently 1: 14 AM, they knew it was time to head out.

"Pity Cara couldn't be here, right? Spared of boredom," stated Hyper.

"Where is she anyway?"

"I told you before, I don't know. When I stopped by her house earlier, her mother said she was out."

Gicko snickered, "Out."

"Not that kind of 'out,'" Hyper rolled her eyes.

"Shhh," Gicko pointed ahead of them.

They saw Amber Gale, Hyper's new rival, standing in the street near the crime scene, sniffing like a dog.

"What is she...she doing?" Hyper whispered, her eyes going big.

Amber knelt down over the cement and waved her hand over Rachel's dead body outline. "We all have to go sometime," she stated. "And so did you." She then licked the ground.

"Sick!" Gicko and Hyper whispered in unison as they turned to each other with their mouths hanging wide. And in this context, "sick" certainly did not mean "good."

**ACT 3**

The next day, before first period class, Cara, Blondes, Gicko and Hyper stood on the playground discussing what Gicko and Hyper had seen just hours ago.

"Amber Gale... She's a demon of some kind, I'm telling you, Blondes. What kind of girl goes around licking dead body outlines? Real ones, mind you. Fake ones are suspect enough. But to lick a real one?" Hyper looked exasperated.

"And what was she doing there anyway?" Gicko added.

"Certainly is suspicious," Cara was in deep thought. Not only about this, but about her recent time spent with Kahlan. Kahlan teleported her home without even accompanying her. But that seemed to have been for the best, given how the night ended. _In silence._

"This should definitely be looked into," advised Blondes. "While we're still waiting for the holographic scan to give us information on the victim's tattoo. I can't imagine what's taking so long."

"I'll keep an eye on her," Hyper nodded to them all.

IIII

In an empty class in between periods, Hyper cornered Amber who was gathering her books and purse. The brown-haired girl was again dressed in gray, but Hyper found herself eyeing the girl's lips. They were full. Not as wondrous as Cara's, but still very squee-worthy.

"I know what you're up to," she stopped behind the girl. _No, I don't, but it sounds good._

Amber turned to her, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Hyper was at a loss for words.

Amber smirked, leaning into the blonde. "If you like, we could discuss this at my house," she purred, and Hyper shivered. "I promise I won't bite...unless you want me to."

At this moment, Cara happened upon the classroom. What struck her wasn't the close proximity between Hyper and her newfound rival, but rather the newfound rival's hands. Amber had them clasped behind her back, and they suddenly transformed into claws right before turning back to normal. Cara was sure of it.

"Sh**," she muttered under her breath, stepping out of sight before either of them could spot her.

IIII

"Amber-girl definitely isn't human," stated Cara. She was standing before Gicko and Blondes on the playground.

"And so...you just left her with Hyper?" asked Gicko.

"What was I supposed to do? We were in a public place. People were about to start filing into the room. And besides...Hyper can handle herself."

"Her power isn't the same as ours and you know it," Gicko ground his teeth.

"Like I wanted Hyper to die, Gicko. Get f**kin' real."

"Hmm. Cara you mentioned claws. Did they look anything like this?" He held up the picture of Rachel's tattoo, alluding to the design of the creature.

"Exactly like that."

"Then I think I know what we're dealing with here."

"What?" Cara and Gicko asked, standing side by side.

"A banshee. The holographic scan just came back," Blondes signaled for the screen to pop up before their eyes. "According to this, the tattoo is of a banshee design. Banshees were said to appear for particular Irish families. _Most often, she appears as an ugly, frightening hag, but she can also appear as a stunningly beautiful woman of any age that suits her. These female spirits are frequently described as dressed in white or gray, often having long, fair hair. Legend has it that for five great Irish families — the O'Gradys__, the O'Neils, the O'Briens, the O'Connors, and the Kavanaghs__ — the lament would be sung by a fairy woman. Because of her foresight, she would sing the lament when a family member died, even if the person had died far away and news of their death had not yet come, so that the wailing of the banshee was the first warning the household had of the death._"

Cara and Gicko looked to each other with worry.

Blondes continued on, "_In later versions, the banshee might appear before the death and warn the family by wailing. Other stories portray banshees as dressed in green, red, or black with a gray cloak_. _Although not always seen, her mourning call is heard, usually at night when someone is about to die_... This is reported by various online resources. And remains true to my already-existing knowledge on the subject."

"In World history yesterday, Amber mentioned something about banshees. She even urged Hyper to talk about it," stated Gicko.

"And Hyper's last name is O'Connor," replied Cara.

"And Amber is very beautiful," acknowledged Gicko.

"And she's always wearing gray. Even a cloak. At least these past two days," added Cara.

"Plus, the victim's last name is O'Brien," Blondes chimed in on the back and forth. "And there are neighbors who recalled a loud wail having been heard around the time of her murder."

"So what does all this mean, Blondes?" Cara bit on her bottom lip. "According to your research, banshees don't just attack people at random. They're not cold-blooded killers. And certainly not as vicious as this attacker was."

Blondes took out his comb and started to slick back his hair. "It would appear that the banshee - this Amber person - was only sent to warn Rachel and her family members of her impending death. But, as we know, modern-day families don't keep banshees around...Irish or not."

"And this means what for Hyper?" Gicko was becoming increasingly panicked. "She's a part of the big five too. An O'Connor."

"I'm not sure," Blondes put the comb back into his pocket. "But there have been reports over the centuries of a creature that targets the families banshees are meant to warn, a sort of rival to the Banshee. It's called the Eiterlon (pronounced eight-ter-lon)... Eiterlons are parasitic spirit demons who take a human as its host, then use that host's knowledge of the environment to determine preferable target spots. Whatever public place that is the host's favorite area to visit, the eiterlon will use that area for feeding. You see, not only do eiterlons take the form of humans, they eat them, often pulling together an atmosphere of many potential victims to choose from. They can go months without a meal, and often mark their victims with zig-zag wounds for future feeding. Storing of the food. The zig-zag is reportedly translated as "Later meal" in their language. One problem we are faced with is that the host, unless told, has no idea they are infected or what they are doing when the creature transforms. After the transformation ends, the host continues on with their everyday life, unknowingly doing the creature's bidding."

"So we not only have a banshee on our hands but an eiterlon as well," stated Cara. "The eiterlon must have come first, and then the banshee followed. Unless the banshee made it here first for the sake of warning the potential victims."

"Whatever the case," stated Blondes, "we need to alert Hyper of this immediately. If for some reason, this banshee suspects Hyper is about to die, then all the more reason to figure this out so that we may try to prevent it from happening."

IIII

Cara and Gicko looked all around school for Hyper, in and out of classes, on and off campus, and couldn't find her anywhere.

"She must be with the banshee," stated Cara.

"I got word that Amber was invited to Tanya's party tonight," replied Gicko. "If so, she might have decided to bring Hyper along."

"Well, I'll check there later. I already have business to -"

Cara's holographic watch suddenly rang, and she answered it in a flash. "What?"

"Cara, it's me."

_Hyper._

Cara, Gicko and Blondes looked relieved to hear her voice.

"Look, I'm fine. I know all about Amber. You and the others can stop your worrying... The worrying I'm quite sure you're doing right now. "

"But -," Cara started in.

"- Amber's explained everything."

"Explained what?" Gicko yelled at the watch.

"Just... Cara, you should go ahead and go to Tanya's party with Kahlan. Gicko, just breathe and relax."

Gicko huffed.

"And, Blondes, well...do your Blondes stuff."

"Blondes stuff?" The Youngster upturned his nose.

There was brief silence.

"I mean it. If you guys mess this up for me, I'll kill you all... Okay, not really... But talk with you soon. Bye."

The gang all looked to each other.

"What do we do now?" asked Gicko?

**ACT 4**

Kahlan met Cara in her room, just as the blond was mussing with her hair in the mirror.

Cara knew Kahlan was there. She could sense her.

It was pretty late; 11:00 PM to be exact, but it wasn't Cara's fault she and Kahlan were just now leaving. Cara had spent the entire day and night searching for Hyper, despite the blonde's protests. Gicko had done the same damn thing, and now they were both pissed. If the bitch didn't want to be found, there was not much either of them could do about it. Not much Blondes could do about it either, it seemed. _Why shouldn't I have a good time? Or rather...'try to.' This is Tanya we're talking about here, and she lives to make my life a living hell, but still...  
_

In truth, getting permission, _as if I need permission_, from Hyper to go ahead with plans to attend the party had allowed Cara to feel better about things. It felt like someone was approving of her union with Kahlan. _Ack, union? What the f**ck?_

Cara inhaled deeply. Then exhaled. _Hyper did sound safe. What the f**k am I supposed to do?_

"Bobby's out of town for a few days, so I guess that makes you my substitute for tonight."

"That's not funny, Cara."

"It wasn't meant to be," Cara turned to Kahlan.

Kahlan was in her typical tight-shirt-and-short-skirt wear, with fancy high heels, and Cara had decided to wear a green, spaghetti-strap top with camouflage pants. Big army boots to boot. _Whatever_, _Tanya doesn't deserve my best-wear._

Cara sighed_. Although...best-wear to you is a simple, white tank top and jeans_," she reminded herself.

"We should go in my car. Don't think teleporting would go over well. Car-less and all."

Kahlan nodded, a bit of hesitancy clouding her features. "Your friend...Hyper -"

"- Is a big girl. She can take care of herself. Now let's go."

IIII

Cara and Kahlan moved toward the front lawn. The street was lined with cars. Music could be heard blaring louder than any live concert, and some teenagers ran around the beer-trashed yard in just their underwear. "Hey, look, Cara and Kahlan are here," yelled one boy in his tighty-whities pulling a girl against him.

Cara and Kahlan ignored them. "Tuck in your necklace," Cara whispered to her side. The necklaces were long enough to hide beneath their shirts, and Cara certainly didn't want to flaunt the gift she'd given the raven beauty.

Kahlan did as told, but for a millisecond...hurt could be seen registering across her face.

Cara and Kahlan approached the door with trepidation. They didn't even have to open it, for the damn thing flew right open with an eager Tanya standing in the doorway, dressed in nothing but a bra and panties and sipping from a glass of wine. "Well, Cara and Kahlan, hello. We've been waiting for you." She smiled wide, then sauntered away, signaling for the duo to follow her in.

The place, though expensive-looking and otherwise brilliant, was trashed. Beer cans lined the floor as scantily-clad people danced and ground against each other. Pizza boxes and other food deliveries also crowded areas.

"Cara, looking hot, girl," yelled a feminine voice from somewhere in the room.

"Kahlan, come ride me," hollered a boy toting a topless girl over one shoulder. Cara didn't look; she was doing her best not to focus on the half-naked women running around.

"Where are her parents?" Cara mumbled under her breath.

Cara and Kahlan moved into the living room to view Tanya tapping a spoon against her glass. "Everyone, everyone, our guests of honor have arrived," she said standing on a table and looking down at the two.

The room started to quiet and gather around the close-to-drunk girl.

Cara and Kahlan stepped before her as well.

A boy dressed in a toga handed Tanya a long, scroll-like paper, and she placed her glass down and threw the spoon over her shoulder.

"This should be good," smirked Cara beside Kahlan, folding her arms expectantly.

Kahlan narrowed her eyes on the young woman; she didn't like where this was headed, and was beginning to think showing up here, especially together, had been a bad idea. Hell, she'd known it was a bad idea from the start. But the idea of spending more time with Cara had clouded her judgment.

"Cara and Kahlan...you two are late. You missed out on Truth or Dare, Twister, Spin the Bottle, 15 minutes in heaven, Booty Call Confessions..."

"Booty Call Confessions?" Cara looked to Kahlan.

"Never heard of it," the brunette replied. _There's much I'm getting used to in this new world._

"...Basically, all the silly things unsupervised teenagers can indulge in," Tanya continued, not hearing their exchange.

"Mm-hmm," many of the teenagers nodded and agreed.

"It is because of this, because everyone here missed out on you participating in these carefree actions, that we have assigned you something that should be equally embarrassing, if not more, to make up for these offenses."

"What do you mean?" Kahlan's blue eyes hardened.

Tanya looked over the scroll. "This here is a list of proposed assignments the people attending thought up for you. Judging by this paper, seeing you two kiss or touch each other's breasts has gotten the most votes."

Cara nearly chocked on her own spit, coughing so deeply.

Kahlan balled her fists.

A boy in tighty-whities came up behind Cara to assist her in getting her breathing under control, patting her hard on the back. Cara scowled his way, then focused her gaze back on Tanya. "What the hell are you trying to pull?"

"What the hell were you two trying to pull by showing up to my party so late? I told you to be on time. Late is fashionable in some contexts, but slumber parties isn't one of them," grinned the red-head. "We realize that you two can't stand each other, and it's a definite surprise that you even managed to show up here together, but skipping the humiliation that others had to endure is unacceptable. Throwing you together in this way should more than make up for it." She looked around at some of the males in the room. "Besides, most of the boys are dying to see it."

The males hooted and hollered.

"Absolutely not!" Cara frowned.

"Then you will get the hell out of my house, and word will spread of what losers you really are," Tanya shot back.

"What if we do it behind closed doors?" proposed Kahlan. Cara looked to her mate as though the brunette had lost her f**king mind.

"Then how are we supposed to see it?" one boy yelled, reining in support from all around.

"Embarrassing us is one thing, but being downright petty is another," Kahlan rationalized. "Have Cara and I do one of the two acts here behind closed doors, and a few people to verify that it happened."

Cara was still looking at Kahlan with an "Are you crazy?" face.

"And how will we verify that it happened?" asked Tanya.

"Well, my breasts are very sensitive," Kahlan said it as though it was something very matter of fact, and Cara tried her best not to blush. She'd thought about touching Kahlan's breasts just a week ago.

"And the tips will appear very red once they've been...aroused," Kahlan continued on. "I could show them to the few we select to verify."

Tanya put a hand under her chin as though in deep thought, and a few of the kids snickered. "You could make that happen yourself and we wouldn't be the wiser."

"Then how about a few people walk in on us intertwined, after we've kissed or my tips have been swelled? My lips get swollen after minutes of kissing, and I don't think that could happen from just kissing my hand."

Some of the girls in the room couldn't believe what they were hearing. Some of the boys felt their prayers had been answered.

"Either Cara and I kiss, or Cara touches just one of my breasts. Afterward, you and a few of your girls walk in on us embraced in each other's arms...on a bed."

Cara was trying hard to make herself refuse these suggestions put out by Kahlan, but alas...found that she could not.

Some of the boys and girls were giggling now.

"Sounds like a fair deal, right?" Kahlan arched an eyebrow. "For two people who detest each other as much as we do, you cannot expect us to make out or touch chests in front of all these witnesses. We could also use a cell phone to record the interaction. Once you and your selected few show up and catch us in bed, we could show you the exchange, then destroy the evidence. Your word against ours."

Some of the crowd disagreed, opining about how they wanted to see for themselves the school's two most popular girls, and rivals, "get it on," but Tanya silenced them all. "Deal," she smirked, gesturing for a girl beside her to hand her a small cardboard box.

Tanya pulled out a sexy pair of red lingerie from the box, and threw it to Kahlan; Kahlan caught it firm between her fingers. "But you'll being wearing these." Tanya threw the pink pair to Cara, who half-heartedly caught it.

The two examined the material in their hands, people making "ooohing" sounds all around them.

"Kahlan, just so you know, your piece fits this way ."A girl rolled out a poster for all to see, and the boys applauded, as the poster showcased a stunning brunette, her face only half shown, sporting the red, barely-there outfit.

"I see," was all Kahlan could say. But inside she was a mess. I have to parade around in that? In front of Cara? _The lingerie she saw me in that first night, when I tried to bed her, wasn't any where close to as skimpy as this_. The panty bottom was nothing but a thong, and the bra-top was basically lace and ribbon tied into a bow at its center. Hell, even the back of the bottoms had a bow tied in the center.

"And, Cara, yours fits this way." The same girl standing below Tanya rolled out another poster. This one didn't show a face, only a body in the tight, pink attire. "We figured you're a little more masculine than Kahlan, but not by much. The boxer briefs are a nice touch if I do say so myself. And I take it you like pink?"

_I hate pink_, Cara sneered. She wanted to strangle this bitch and ditch this godawful place, but if Kahlan could play it cool, so could she. And she certainly didn't want rumors going around about how uptight she was, that she couldn't make a little fun of herself. "Something tells me you had this already planned out, long before now," Cara breathed. "Asking Kahlan and I to show up together."

Tanya grinned. "Now, Cara..."

If gay rumors came from this, Cara had no doubt most people would believe her over Tanya. Yes, she could play along. She was the Queen B of this school. Even with Kahlan having gained enough popularity to be considered Second B In Command.

"So which it is you choose?" Tanya questioned.

"Excuse me?" Cara was still scowling.

"Touching or kissing? I'll leave this show up to you. Since Kahlan set the scene, it's only fair that you set the mood."

"Why you," Cara almost lunged forward at the girl, and Kahlan held her back with an arm.

Cara frowned...but ultimately gave her answer. "I'll touch," she ground out. She knew how intimate kissing was and certainly didn't want her mouth exploring Kahlan's...

...Or did she?

"Kahlan, we can only imagine what you look like when getting all sexual with Big Bertha... That is, if the gay rumors are true and you two are doing more than just hanging out," Tanya giggled.

Cara looked to Kahlan, what seemed to be latent jealousy marking the blond's features.

"And, Cara, it's not difficult at all to imagine all the dirty little things you no doubt do with Bobby."

"What Bobby and I do behind closed doors is none of your business," she grit her teeth.

Now Kahlan looked to Cara...obvious concern she had no intention of masking.

"But what you and Kahlan do is, it seems." Tanya smiled wide. "Should be fun." She looked to two girls by the stairs. "Show our guests to their rooms."

She looked to the others. "And don't think you boys are spending the night."

IIII

The room looked like a main bedroom, possibly the parents', but Tanya had insisted she had two for herself. Small, golden statues of Japanese art stood on bronze dressers and adorned parts of the walls. The ceiling's middle held a fan made up of silver swirls with white diamond-shaped links hanging from all sides. And the rug was bright red, the curtains too. The bed, however, was jet black.

And the bed is where Cara's eye's kept darting to.

"Good going, "she uttered sarcastically in Kahlan's direction.

Kahlan came to stand beside her as they faced the bed. "Like you had any better ideas."

"Uh, get the hell out of here, for starters."

Kahlan crossed her arms, the lingerie lacing between them. "And let talk spread of what bad sports we are? Appearances mean everything to you, remember?"

"Whatever," Cara turned her back and walked a few feet away from the bed.

Kahlan was right about what Cara thought of appearances, but she was not in an agreeable mood. "Let's just get dressed, alright? They already said they'd only give us ten minutes. Five to warm up, and five for the actual act." Cara looked over her shoulder at Kahlan. "Not that I'm doing anything of the sort with you."

"You realize they're probably listening right outside the door," Kahlan turned toward the blond.

"Then we'll have to keep our voices down, now won't we?" Cara turned away and started lifting her top. She then looked back to Kahlan, and gestured for the brunette to offer her back. "My body is not for your eyes."

Kahlan frowned, but turned her back to Cara. "What did you mean back there, what you said to Tanya about you and Bobby?" Kahlan took off her shirt and let it fall to the floor.

Cara smirked. "So the loss of our bond means you can't tell if I'm still..." Cara looked to the door. She was about to say "a virgin," but realizing others might be listening...she settled for, "...without assistance?"

Kahlan smirked to herself. "Smart choice of words. And we haven't lost the bond, only the exciting part of it." Kahlan rubbed her arms, stalling to undress any further.

"Exciting to you," Cara placed her "lingerie" over one shoulder, and kicked off her shoes. "But I'm glad it's gone."

_Which is a lie. But so what? She has Big Bertha._

"Will you just answer the question?" Kahlan knew she sounded desperate, but she needed to know. "Yes, I can't tell if... But I'm not sure how that is. Even with Flamers and anchors who have platonic relationships, the anchor always knows."

_Arrgh._ Kahlan was stumped, and frustrated. In every sense of the word. She hadn't thought about sensing whether Cara was still a virgin or not, not since their "break up." And, honestly, she wouldn't have had to. If Cara was no longer a virgin, the pull would have let her know instantly.

Cara sighed, stalling her actions to undress as well. "He…" She mumbled the rest, blushing furiously.

"He what? You said it too fast."

"…ground his palm against my groin area…" Cara whispered, looking somewhat perplexed. "It wasn't for long, though. And it was over the pants. We were making out, and he decided to spice things up a bit. I can't blame him; we've been seeing each other for four months now, and still haven-" Cara looked to the door and let the silence speak for her.

Kahlan stood staring at the bed post. She felt she needed to breathe, but had forgotten how to. She pictured a heated Bobby grunting into Cara's mouth, fondling her nether regions, both clothed and unclothed. The noises Cara might have made at being touched in such a way, the looks they might have exchanged. Cara was still a virgin; Bobby hadn't touched her bare skin, hadn't penetrated her, but Kahlan wanted to be the blond's first. In every way. Bobby's hands simply did not belong on her mate.

"Kahlan?" Cara worried at the silence.

"Yes…I see, that's… If you liked it, then it's a good thing."

Inside, Kahlan ached. She had known Cara and Bobby would move past the first base eventually. She just wasn't prepared for it. And now she felt angry, sad and sick all at the same time. Of course...she couldn't tell this to Cara.

Cara shrugged and unzipped her pants, which brought Kahlan back to the moment at hand and she turned to watch.

Cara hurriedly tugged away the camouflage slacks, and then glanced over the semi-racy outfit once more.

Kahlan was slow to turn away, mesmerized by her mate's slim torso and tanned skin. And the alluring back that was turned to her certainly didn't help matters. Kahlan didn't realize how far her eyes had wandered until she saw the panties go down, revealing Cara's amazingly scrumptious backside that had always been covered by jeans or pants of some sort...until now.

Blushing furiously, Kahlan was just starting to turn away when she noticed something dark at the bottom of the curve of Cara's left buttock. Unable to tear her eyes away, she paused to look closer, and could have sworn she saw her name in cursive black ink before the blond pulled on the pink briefs.

Cara discarded her white bra in exchange for the pink one and had it on in no time before she turned to look at Kahlan.

"Kah -" The Mord-Sith paused, catching Kahlan's gaze. "What in the... Were you looking at me the whole damn time?" Pink tint flushed Cara's face.

"There was something I wanted to ask you just now." _That sounds convincing enough._ She tried to keep her face stoic, but thoughts of Cara's naked back and ass kept threatening to break her facade. _Is my name really tattooed on Cara's backside__?_ _It doesn't make sense... Why would... _"I was just going to ask you how we should go about this... But give me some time to get dressed first." She turned her back to Cara and started doing exactly that.

"Yeah, yeah." Cara turned away from Kahlan and gave her the privacy she wasn't sure Kahlan had given her in return. _Was Kahlan really watching my ass? I...I mean, she seems satisfied with Big Bertha now... So maybe not? _

Kahlan finished putting on the bow-designed top and turned to face the Mord-Sith. "Done."

"Wow, that was..." Cara turned to face the brunette and found her vocal chords temporarily lost, "...fast," she finished hoarsely. Kahlan's outfit, just like the model picture, showed partial breasts and an overall great view of abs... _I remember from that first night in my room, Kahlan's abs. Great abs. ..._Cara's gaze fell to Kahlan's barely-there panties, where she couldn't see any sign of pubic hair sprouting out. Just like the poster. _She apparently shaves... ...Maybe not all the way... _Cara pondered. _Wish I could see..._

_No, you do not wish you could see._

Truth be told, Kahlan wore the outfit better than any model. Cara's eyes continued their path to the brunette's long legs.

"I was always a quick dresser," replied Kahlan, looking over Cara's body in turn. To Kahlan, Cara wore it better than the poster. Full, luscious breasts...abs... _Cara's abs...I've never been able to forget them, ever since that day on the lawn. _Her eyes focused on Cara's strong thighs.

Kahlan walked slowly to the other woman. Her throat felt parched, and yet she was pretty sure she was close to salivating at the sight of a half-naked Cara.

Cara became guarded. _What she is..._

"Cara..." Kahlan breathed, using one hand to slide along the Mord-Sith's face.

Kahlan couldn't help it; her hormones were raging, embarrassingly so...out of control due to a spell which should have never been cast in the first place.

...And Cara was looking absolutely scrumptious.

Cara held her breath as Kahlan's hand slid from her cheek to her neck, tickling there, becoming possessive and gripping. It then played with the skin just above her chest.

Kahlan's eyes pinned the area.

"Okay," Cara simply side-stepped away from the brunette and moved to sit on the bed behind her. "What'd you want to ask me?"

Kahlan stood still, hand still in the air where Cara's soft skin had been. _How can she continue to resist me?_

"Well, Kahlan? What'd you want to know?"

Kahlan frowned. She regained her composure soon enough, though, before turning to the blond. "I forgot."

"Okay, then," Cara shrugged. "What about you and Big Bertha?"

"We haven't had sex." Kahlan replied, arching an eyebrow as she sauntered over to Cara. It was the truth. All she and Big Bertha had done was kiss for several days. She couldn't let Big Bertha have her. Not completely. Not when she was so completely Cara's.

Cara felt her throat go dry. Kahlan in that outfit was...was...

Kahlan sat beside Cara, as close as she could, eyeing the Mord-Sith up and down.

Cara fidgeted. _Quick. Need a subject. Any subject. _"So...tribadism. You into it?" _No, not that, you asshat! _

"What?" Kahlan was focused on Cara's lips.

"You know what tribadism is, right?"

Kahlan chuckled with a condescending air about her. "Of course I do. And what lesbian isn't into some form of it?" she traced a finger behind Cara's ear, and Cara visibly jumped.

"So you're a lesbian?"

Kahlan giggled. "What are you doing thinking about it?"

_Why the f**k does she keep touching me? It...it doesn't feel so bad, though. _"The thing about me impregnating you, it would take my womanhood meeting yours, wouldn't it?"

"Yes," Kahlan ran her fingers through Cara's locks. "Your essence, Cara..." She leaned into the other woman's ear, "...it'd need to bleed into me."

Cara felt her cheeks flush and pulse speed up, as well as a flutter in her lower belly. "Ha," she started to giggle nervously. "All this tribbing stuff. It's silly, really. I mean, how is a thigh between the legs supposed to satisfy?"

"Here, I'll show you." Before Cara knew it, she found herself on her back in the middle of the bed, Kahlan on all fours above her, pinning her to the mattress.

"Get off!" the blond screamed, and both Cara and Kahlan felt they heard giggling coming from behind the door.

"There are many aspects to tribbing, Cara. But it seems you know this. Been researching lately?" She used her thighs to spread Cara's legs.

"I said get off," the Mord-Sith stated it this time...rather than yelled.

"What else did you look into, Cara? ... Things to do with the mouth, perhaps?" Kahlan felt she couldn't control herself. She'd heard Cara's pleas, but they seemed muffled, distant. "Often, there's the knee or thigh between the legs," Kahlan moved her knee to Cara's core without warning, and Cara gasped.

"Son of a -" Her pupils seemed to dilate as Kahlan applied steady pressure, moving ever so slowly.

Their eyes were locked on each other, and Kahlan wanted more...to hear Cara beg for more. "As long as you have this part, Cara, you can more than achieve satisfaction from this," she moved her thigh in a slow, circular motion, and Cara fought against the moan. "Feel better than what Bobby did?"

_Why do you have my name tattooed on your ass, Cara? Why do you make things so difficult for us?_ Kahlan moved her head to Cara's ear, purring, "Or do you prefer the meeting of our parts?"

"Get off!" Cara eyes turned red, her voice temporarily demonic, as she shoved Kahlan halfway across the room.

Kahlan landed on her feet, and frowned as she watched Cara sit up on the bed, the Flamer power quickly disappearing back within her. _Hmm. It seems the bond disregards grinding as sex when it's just over the clothes. Or maybe Cara would have to be satisfied?_

She sighed. _Watch yourself, Kahlan. You know Cara's powers are nothing to toy with_. She sighed again, further battling with her inner thoughts. _But I wasn't 'toying' at all._

"Just as well," Kahlan shrugged, walking back to where Cara was still recovering.

"What?" Cara looked up at her.

"Scoot over. We're wasting time."

Cara scooted over without thinking. "But -"

"The task at hand, remember?" Kahlan sat down. "And since we now know you're not going to touch me..." she whispered, still aware of the eavesdropping going on outside the room.

Cara stared at Kahlan with puzzlement.

"That was a test, Cara. To see if I was going to have to do this myself," she spoke softly. "Simple as that." Cara looked down, and Kahlan continued on, "Oh don't tell me you thought I was really into you just then?... I have my own honey for boom-boom, and we'll be getting there soon enough."

Cara looked up to Kahlan, frowning.

"Now turn around," gestured the raven beauty. "I doubt you'll wanna watch this either."

When Cara turned her back to Kahlan, it gave Kahlan much needed privacy to let her real sorrow show. _Damn it_, she fought back tears.

Kahlan lied back, and moved a hand to her chest, reluctantly grasping.

"You, uh...got the cell phone?" Cara asked sheepishly. Her mind was mush right now. "The angle has to be convincing enough - that it isn't your own hand rubbing there," she whispered. "It has to look like mine."

"Damn."

"What is it?"

"I can't get a good grasp on a tip through this thing," she was eyeing the top with much helplessness. "I'm going to have to lift up one side, go for bare access."

Cara blushed. "Well, uh...whatever you have to do."

Kahlan slowly moved the material up over her right breast, exposing the delicate mound.

The room was quiet for a few moments.

A few moments more.

But then Cara heard it - the distinct sounds of arousal... Kahlan was moaning.

The moaning started out soft, then increased in volume, with each passing stroke.

Cara tried to focus on the carpet, or even the giggles she heard going on behind the door, but it was useless. Kahlan's moans were positively beautiful, enchanting even. Those moans were making her panic, making her aware of things, making her embarrassingly turned on.

_More turned on is more like it, after what Kahlan just did to you moments ago. _

Cara raked her hands through her hair. _How can this be? The sexual pull's gone...so... So, what, I desire Kahlan all on my own?_

The arousal in Cara's lower belly became more prominent, and out of an effort to achieve relief, she looked over her should at Kahlan.

She immediately wished she hadn't.

Kahlan's eyes were already on her, touching her chest in the most sensual manner. "Oh," was all that escaped the brunette's lips as her gaze locked with Cara's. _Touch me, Cara. Touch me. _Kahlan hoped her eyes conveyed this wish.

Cara's face was one of guilt and shame. Guilt for having taken a peek, and shame for having liked it. But she wasn't about to look away now, not with Kahlan moving and moaning like that... Eyeing her like that.

Cara's gaze fell to Kahlan's bosom. _Kahlan...you're... _

Cara was in awe. She'd seen Kahlan's pretty chest before, through that soaking wet T-shirt the day the raven-haired girl had shown up on her doorstep without any sense of modesty. But it had been nothing like this. Actually getting to see that bare flesh. It was her first time witnessing a woman in this way.

_So luscious...so red._ Her green pools zeroed in on how aroused Kahlan must be._ I wonder if..._

Without thinking, Cara directed her vision to Kahlan's groin, and immediately began blushing every shade of pink and red in existence. _My f**king god_.

Kahlan was insanely aroused, those red lace panties not doing a damn thing to shield the obviousness.

"Mmm," Kahlan moaned with a smirk crossing her lips, bringing Cara's attention back to her face._ That's right, Cara. This turned on... For you._

Cara's heart felt like it was beating out of her chest, and she tried to turn away from the sight of Kahlan furiously touching that pale, delicate flesh.

"Cara..." Kahlan finally breathed.

Cara couldn't take it anymore. She needed to know...needed to feel how it felt to touch a woman's chest.

Kahlan braced herself for the long-awaited hand reaching out to...

"HOT IN..."

Cara's hand paused just an inch away from Kahlan's chest.

"SO HOT IN HERE."

"What in the..." Cara looked toward the door. "Oh no... Don't tell me they..."

"What is..." Kahlan sat up a little, looking toward the door with Cara. "Is that music?"

IIII

Downstairs, teenagers danced to what they considered a classic jam - Hot in Herre by Nelly - which blasted from a huge flat screen TV showcasing the music video.

A boy in only black boxer-briefs pointed a remote control at the screen. "This is what kids in the ancient times listened to," he laughed, turning the sound up even higher. The huge speakers beside the television aided in this:

(_Uh) I was like, good gracious ass is bodacious  
Oh, flirtacious, tryin' to show patience  
_  
"Ack, YouTube spelled the title wrong. "It's Hot in Herre, with two Rs," he controlled the video game system facilitating the use of the Internet through the television screen.  
_  
_

IIII

"A song?" Kahlan furrowed her brows at Cara.

"Yes. It's a popular rap song from a long time ago. It's been sort of passed down, mostly as something humorous. Every now and then, some jock will put it out and people will shake their asses." Cara leaned over Kahlan.

Kahlan smiled. "Hot in here? With two Rs?"

"Yes."

Kahlan looked down a second, then back up at Cara and burst out laughing. The way she laughed, all carefree and completely mocking Cara like that, it was infectious, and made the blond laugh in turn.

"Yes, I guess it was hot in herre..." Kahlan held her stomach as she giggled.

Just then, a trio of girls burst into the room. "Get them!" one screamed, as they all snapped pictures of Cara and Kahlan in their very compromised positions.

Kahlan didn't have time for this. She was already interrupted once - by a damn song. Yanking her top in place, she teleported herself and Cara, and sheets to wrap around their waists, before the girls. The girls' memories - of what they'd just seen - were erased in the process.

By the door, the girls dropped their cameras, staring at Cara and Kahlan with puzzled faces. "How did we get here?" one asked, looking to another.

"Did we run? I don't remember running," another said.

Kahlan teleported the cameras, and their incriminating evidence, away as well.

Cara looked just as puzzled. But looking down at how a sheet now adorned her waist, she suddenly hated the situation even more. Kahlan must have known she was thoroughly aroused. Must have seen it. _Sh**._

Cara looked up to face the girls. "Where's Tanya?"

"She...she left," the brown-haired girl stated. "Something about business to attend to."

"Left?" Cara looked from the silent Kahlan back to the others. "That makes no sense."

"I'm glad she's gone," stated the smallest of the girls. "Bitch was damn rough with me minutes ago."

Cara raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"This," the girl showed the back of her neck to Cara, Kahlan, and the others. The two who came with her gasped.

"Shit!" Cara touched a gentle hand to what was a zig-zag wound. "Zig-zags..." She remembered what blondes had said earlier. _The Eiterlon... not only do eiterlons take the form of humans, they eat them, often pulling together an atmosphere of many potential victims to choose from. They can go months without a meal, and often mark their victims with zig-zag wounds for future feeding. Storing of the food. The zig-zag is reportedly translated as "Later meal" in their language_. "Son of a bitch! You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Cara?" Kahlan touched a hand to her mate's shoulder.

"I'll explain later. We gotta go," she pulled Kahlan along, out the door and down the stairs.

IIII

Gicko sat back on the bed in his room, throwing a basketball against the ceiling when he received a phone call from Cara. "What?" he replied into his holographic watch. His frown deepened. "Jesus!... F**k!"

He jumped out of bed, grabbing his shoes, and dashed for the door.

IIII

Blondes stood on the D'Hara High playground, a particle like-mist forming behind him just as he received a phone call from Gicko.

"Hello, Tyler Blondes," spoke Asher with a blank expression.

Blondes turned to the other Youngster.

IIII

Amber and Hyper stood in a huge empty warehouse near Roaming Park. It was lit by the many flash lights Amber had intertwined with rope to dangle from the ceiling rails. She was dressed in a gray leather cloak ensemble, with long black boots and gun holsters snug on her shoulders and thighs; the guns attached there were unique to say the least.

Hyper looked toward the large, wide metal door. "You sure she'll be here?"

"Positive," Amber narrowed her light brown eyes. "My senses tell me Roaming Park is one of the host's favorite areas. As I told you before, eiterlons always return to the desired areas for moments of peace or attack. My scent is also present; the eiterlon will be expecting a fight." She looked over to Hyper. "Thank you for not alerting your friends of our whereabouts... As Banshee of the New World, it is my and my job alone to protect you."

Hyper simply nodded, not sure what to state of the matter.

"I apologize for making you bait, however."

"Do you know the host's human name? Who she really is?"

"No."

There was silence.

More silence.

But the silence didn't last for long. The door blew open, dust swirling back with it.

Amber, with the speed of lightning, moved with Hyper, and out of the way -

- the door clashed against the other side of the building.

A huge beast, walking on all fours, entered the room and stopped in the doorway. Its body was brown, and slimy and nearly took up the whole entrance way. Large and long bone-like spikes lined its back, each one resembling a horn of some sort. The creature's ears were long, and elf-like, its eyes a blend of red and yellow, and its wolf-like head bore a pair of razor sharp teeth dripping with gobs of saliva.

"My god...," stated Hyper.

Amber moved in front of Hyper, drawing her pistol. The pistol was silver and cartoonishly long at its head. She aimed it at the monster. "Ready to die, beast?"

_I'm not_, was all Hyper could think.


	10. PART 3, END OF EPISODE 3

**Note:** The LiveJournal version has pictures regarding the **end drawings**, which may enhance the story for you.**  
**

**ACT 5**

Gicko sat in the back seat of Cara's vehicle looking from side to side. He had just been in his front yard, and now... "How'd I get here?"

Cara sat in the front, speeding, with Kahlan to her side. Both were fully dressed in their previous clothing, Kahlan in her tight shirt and short skirt, and Cara in her green, spaghetti-strap top with camouflage pants.

Gicko looked over to Kahlan, "And what is she doing here?"

Cara smirked. "Kahlan's my anchor. She teleported your ass here seconds ago." They took a hard turn to the right. "Be thankful."

"Your anchor?" Gicko tried to assess Kahlan, but she just kept looking ahead. "I - Blondes."

"- This car is small enough, and Kahlan used a special skill just for you - teleporting a distant object, without seeing it or being familiar with its location. She can't do it again. Not right now. But Blondes should be able find his way on his own." Cara briefly looked over her shoulder. "You did tell Blondes where to meet us, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Gicko was still trying to make sense of all this. "But how do you know she'll be there - at Roaming Park?"

"Remember what Blondes said about the Eiterlon using the host's knowledge of the environment to determine preferable target spots? Whatever public place is the host's favorite area to visit, the eiterlon will use that area for feeding."

"Yeah?" Gicko arched an eyebrow.

"Where's the place I told you Tanya lost her 'technical' and 'side' virginities?"

"Roaming Park!" Gicko slapped his hands together. Just the other day, he and Cara had been discussing all the whorish girls on campus lately, and Cara had made no attempts to refrain from divulging Tanya's raunchy past.

"My," Kahlan didn't know what to say to that.

"Tanya definitely loves that spot. On three different occasions, with three different guys. Her favorite, I'm sure of it. And while she may not be in the park area exactly, there's an abandoned warehouse near it," Cara added.

"The old Lacer Mechanics warehouse," responded Gicko.

"And that'll be our detour location." Cara stepped on the gas.

IIII

Blondes stared at Asher with much curiosity. "Asher Concrite."

"That's my name," the sandy-haired Youngster smiled. "Don't wear it out."

"I've heard of you and your missions. You're somewhat of a legend among the Circle."

"That I am, but I'm not here to talk about me. I'm here to talk about you. You...Cara...and her anchor."

"There's no time to talk," Blondes started to turn away... "Wait, her anchor?"

"Kahlan... Kahlan Amnell."

"I knew it!" Blondes raised a finger. "From the first moment I saw her, there was something extremely suspicious about the woman. Wait until Cara get's a piece of my mind about thi-"

" - The eiterlon," Asher cut in, looking utterly bored. "Cara and Kahlan are on their way to help fight it. Return it to its human form, and hopefully help save the human soul in the process."

"How do you -"

"- Kahlan managed to contact me on my way here, just as Cara managed to contact you. That was Cara on the phone just now, was it not?" Asher's eyes twinkled. "I'd say the kids can handle this for now. So why don't we talk for a bit?"

IIII

Amber was slammed into a wall by the eiterlon, a few rusty chain breakers & riveting tools clashing to the cement floor. The gun she'd started out with was now some distance away. She hadn't had the chance to use it, for the eiterlon had temporarily blinded her with its "fix stare" right before charging her to the other side of the warehouse. And now the beast's razor sharp teeth were sinking into her left shoulder.

"Ahhh," Amber hollered at the intense sensation. She wasn't human, and while this body she inhabited was hers from long ago, she wasn't used to it anymore. She was used to spirit form. _Flesh is a pain to say the least._

Hyper screamed from the other side of the warehouse, face strained with horror and frustration. She was stuck in a force field, which glowed yellow and then orange intermittently. "Let me out of here, Amber! Don't you see that thing's going to kill you!"

"No, Hyper. You stay there," Amber breathed.

The creature was on its hind legs now pressing her into the wall, and sinking its teeth further into her already torn flesh. It eyed her the whole time.

Amber managed to pull out one of the guns strapped to her right thigh and aimed it at the head of the eiterlon. With the pull of the trigger, this gun blasted the beast's brains out and its body away from her own, with a flash of brilliant, blue light.

The beast and its blood splatter were paused mid-air. In another moment, it reconfigured, body completely restored, and landing before Amber with a furious shake of its head.

Amber grinned Hyper's way, holding up the gun. It looked normal enough. "Defragmenter. It defragments an enemy's mind or body just long enough to counter."

She turned back to the monster, and waved a hand over her injured shoulder. It was healed instantly.

The eiterlon regained its senses, and started to discharge an acid-like substance from the large spikes that lined its back.

Amber dodged the acid with lightning speed, and the liquid left huge indents in the ground where her presence had once been.

"Screw that sh**," uttered Hyper, immediately sitting Indian style within her force field and then meditating.

IIII

"I'm not keeping Cara from mating at all," Blondes pouted, looking to the ground. "It's not my fault she felt the need to keep Kahlan a secret."

"Oh no?" Asher moved to Blondes. "You are the one who has repeatedly reminded her of 'duty this and duty that.' You did the same in your efforts to find her anchor. Cara and Kahlan need to know that their union can be about more than just missions and quests. That it can be about love, passion...family eventually. "

Blondes frowned down at the other Youngster. He somehow felt superior at this height. "And you haven't pressed Kahlan to bed Cara?"

Asher shrugged, his dark green eyes seeming to light up. "Of course I have. But the difference is...how I've gone about it. I've explained to Kahlan what she would have with Cara, and what she wouldn't. I was the one to find her, to inform her of anchor ability, to-"

"- And I found Cara."

"You did, and now look at yourself." Asher grinned, waving his hand over Blondes's appearance. "You look like a thirty-five year old man."

Blondes scoffed. "You aren't so innocent-looking yourself," he ran a hand over the bottom of Asher's stubble. "In fact, you look ridiculous. A 12-year-old with a five o'clock shadow? However do you get around...without being noticed?"

"The point is..." Asher turned his back to Blondes, looking up to the night sky. "...I'll turn back to normal soon. I can already feel it. But you?" He looked over his shoulder. "You've been reckless. You've scolded Cara about being immature and such, but you are the one getting drunk, cursing at every turn without any regard for what you are." He turned fully to the man-boy. "You are a Youngster, Tyler Blondes. So start acting like one. Start providing Cara with youthful thoughts, a little fun to relieve her from her already stressful life."

"I -"

"- At the rate you're going, you'll never turn back. And you might as well be any middle-aged man reprimanding her."

" - But -"

" - How could you not know what an anchor was when you found her? That's one of the first things you should have known. Your senses should have already been on high alert for the one thing that could keep Cara's powers in check. The one person."

"Okay, sure, but -"

"- Once you became aware of that one thing, that one person, you needed to find, what did you do?"

Blondes folded his arms across his chest. "I'm sure you'll enlighten me."

"You gave Cara even more of a reason to hide her."

"You just said that."

"Well, listen to this: Theirs is not simply a platonic bond. Cara and Kahlan have bonded in a way that's distinct from the anchoring aspect. And that's what Cara needs if she's ever to allow Kahlan to fully enter her world, to be a real part of her life."

"And so we are to play matchmaker now?"

Asher moved to Blondes, pointing a finger his way. "The match has already been made. We just need to make sure it's followed through."

IIII

Amber stumbled to the floor. Her face was scarred with claw marks and her gray leather cut in strips that revealed portions of her bloodied skin. There was no time to heal herself, however, for the eiterlon was gnawing on her leg and it hurt like hell. She had to retaliate now. Reaching to the floor and grasping the gun she'd had at the start of the fight, she aimed it at the beast, and again the creature was suspended mid-air. Four, long, lightning-rays extended from the gun, lashing and stripping the monster of its skin, revealing the glowing, human outline beneath.

"The soul of the host," Amber called out to Hyper. "This weapon frees the human from the eiterlon's body, and returns the eiterlon to where it belongs - the Underworld."

Hyper continued meditating in her force field, seemingly unaware of anything Amber stated.

The shredded skin belonging to the eiterlon was being pulled into the ground, swirling around the glowing human outline...

...but it then halted, retracting to swirl back upward and encase the human once more.

"It's rejecting the judgment," stated Amber. "Must have stored up enough power for this one event."

Hyper had heard everything Amber stated. Just as Cara and Gicko had improved their powers, hers were not something to take lightly either. She'd make sure of that. All her life, with the exception of school, she'd come in second place to those two. Whether in sports, first kisses, first loves, and most recently...zombie fighting. Well, no more. She wanted to be an equal for once. Just concentrating on things long enough had made her realize that she could will the impossible. And willing the impossible was exactly what she had in mind now.

The force field vanished, and Hyper's lips pursed tightly together. _The ground. The eiterlon must be dragged into the ground... To the Underworld._

The floor began to shake and ripple, Amber bumping into a table full of wrenches as she stood on her good leg looking toward Hyper.

Cara, Kahlan and Gicko rushed in just in time to see Hyper unleashing a buttload of power.

They stood in the entrance way watching the ground open up, green and red fire blending together, and shooting upward, up to the ceiling where it burned the flashlights but not the suspended soul waiting there.

As the shredded skin of the eiterlon was pulled down into the fiery pits of hell, its howl could be heard even though there was no body, no throat or lungs to produce it.

"Jesus," stated Gicko, watching the the blue and yellow waves radiating off of Hyper and clearly controlling the atmosphere around them.

Blondes and Asher materialized beside Amber, and Asher immediately helped her stand as they all took in the sight before them.

The eiterlon was sucked into the earth, one last wail piercing the group's eardrums. All except Hyper's and Amber's.

The earth closed up, and the human outline slowly took form; Tanya's naked body lowered softly to the ground, fetal position. She was curled so tightly that the only indecent part of her exposed was her buttocks.

The radiation around Hyper instantly dissipated, and she opened her eyes, looking in the direction of Cara, Kahlan and Gicko with a wide grin.

All eyes were on her, but there were no grins in return.

IIII

An hour later, at 1:00 AM, the old and new crew stood outside by some trees to the left of the building, discussing every aspect of the current matters they'd witnessed. Amber had restored herself to health and was apparently a banshee of the New World, whatever that meant. By her terms, it simply meant banshees sworn to protect members of the big Irish five...not just warn them of things.

Knowing that an eiterlon was headed for the town Firesridge, Amber had tracked it here, but had been too late to protect Rachel. Hyper was a tad surprised about Tanya being the eiterlon, but more amazed by her own surprising strength. This strength - this power - which had the ability to stop the monster. Needless to say, the rest of the crew was surprised as well. Amber said Hyper's power needed to be studied. Blondes and Asher agreed, but were far from believing Hyper's power was anything compared to Cara's. The power Cara could have if only her union with Kahlan was allowed to reach its full potential.

And Gicko? Gicko just felt the whole matter was awesome, that he didn't have to stress about Hyper dying as much anymore. He and Blondes did, however, nag Hyper about running off with a stranger the way she had, and that she needed to take her, as well as the group's, well-being into consideration more often.

"What about the tattoos?" asked Gicko.

"They are markings used by the Eiterlon breed to taunt the Banshee, to remind us of what we are - monsters like them."

"But you aren't like them," Hyper, who stood beside Amber, grabbed the brown-haired woman's arm.

Gicko regarded this with a touch of alarm. _So close already_.

"Regardless," added Amber, "they are meant to brand the Eiterlon's work, to let us know that it is the doing of the Eiterlon and that we are...were unable to stop it."

Cara looked up at the trees overhead. Blondes had nagged her too, about withholding the vital information on Kahlan. To this, Cara had nearly gave him the finger. She really didn't care for all this business stuff right now. Now that she knew Hyper was safe, her mind kept going back to the time she'd spent with Kahlan in Tanya's room. Would she really have lost her virginity to the brunette right there?... No, there hadn't been any time for that. And the bed was a stranger's bed, one with a history of whorish-ness.

Cara wondered how many lovers Kahlan had acquired over the many years. The fact that she was even thinking such things, of becoming sexually intimate with Kahlan, was bothering her less and less these days, and she realized she needed to be alone with Kahlan now. Right now.

"I always knew you two were soulmates," stated Hyper, grinning Cara's way. "Okay, maybe not always, but, like, semi-always."

Amber looked to the blonde with glasses questioningly.

Hyper continued on, in her fast-speak. "Or maybe not 'always' at all. Just since the Dart of the Vengeance Spell. Because before then, you'd call her a bitch. She was rumored to call you a bitch. A slut, a whore. A two-faced cunt. And everyone was a bitch when you got angry. Not to mention the one time you asked Blondes to spell her ass away to the pits of hell," Hyper finished all in one breath. "You also called her a bee-otch, a slight alteration of the word bitch."

Everyone looked to Hyper, Amber smirking wide, and Gicko snickering loudly.

"I take it that's why they call you Hyper?" asked Amber.

Hyper looked to the ground shyly.

"Uh, yeah," answered Gicko, laughing even harder.

Blondes looked annoyed. Asher smiled.

Cara shrugged. "I wouldn't say 'soul mates.'"

"Where is Kahlan anyway?" pondered Gicko. "Is she still seeing to Tanya?"

"Teleporting her home and all that? Yeah," Cara replied.

Just then, Kahlan appeared behind Hyper and Amber, spooking the others a bit as she moved past them and to Cara.

"Okay...I need that power," Gicko raised a finger.

Cara and Kahlan's eyes locked, and Cara looked to Blondes. "We're through with everything for tonight...err morning, right?"

"No," said Blondes, starting to walk toward her, but Asher, who appeared to have some sort of strength to him, pulled the Youngster back. "There is much to discuss, about your secrecy, about your mating rituals -"

"Get me out of here," Cara turned to Kahlan.

"Where to?" Kahlan's voice was just above a whisper.

"The nearest club, perhaps?" Cara grinned.

"As you wish."

They vanished just as Blondes broke away from Asher's grasp, stumbling into the spot once occupied by the Flamer and anchor. "Damn it!"

"Oh, let them be," Asher waved the frowning figure off. "And what have I told you about cursing?"

Blondes spun to Asher as though appalled.

Gicko raised his eyebrows. "So what's next? Tanya need any eyes on her?"

"She should be fine now that she has been freed from the monster. And any memory of having been driven by the eiterlon should also be absent. Even without restoration, as you know, the host would have no recollection of the heinous acts committed," stated Amber.

Gicko then eyed Asher.

"Hey, don't look at me, kid. I'm here to stay... For a bit anyway."

"Me too," smiled Amber.

Hyper's lips pulled into a grin, holding Amber close. "Did you really lick that dead body outline?"

IIII

"Where are we?" Cara stood on the outdoor patio, which was dimly lit, secluded and quiet. She was a few feet away from Kahlan, who stood to her left, and there were several tables scattered around.

The stars seen in the distance helped to provide a calm and soothing atmosphere.

"The nearest club. Don't you hear the faint sound of music?"

"I do now," Cara smirked. "You really brought me here?"

"It was your request," Kahlan stepped closer to the other woman.

Cara watched her with curiosity. "Is this a gay club?"

"No," Kahlan giggled. "I know you would've passed out from a heart attack if I'd done that."

Cara laughed. "I suppose it has been a crazy night/morning. Don't need more craziness."

"It has," Kahlan laughed some more.

" You know...it's been around 1:00 AM these past few nights, with all sorts of crazy and confusing things happening to me."

"It has?" Kahlan turned fully to Cara, watching the very predatory, sea-green gaze which seemed to envelop her very being.

Cara turned fully to Kahlan in response, stepping even closer so that they were now only a breath apart. "I guess you're not such a secret anymore. And...well, you were never dirty."

"I wouldn't say that," Kahlan whispered, breath hitching. "The dirty part, I mean... I've been known to get dirty in the past."

"You have?" Cara arched an eyebrow.

"Quite."

Cara grinned, looking to the floor, then back up to the brunette. "So, Kahlan, about earlier -"

"- I should get us some drinks." Kahlan stepped back. _What am I doing? Don't I want Cara to eye me like that? Step to me like that? _"I'll be quick, I promise."_ Flirting with Cara like this? It'll never lead to where I want it to... Although...there was earlier tonight..._

Cara looked as though she hadn't been fazed. "Okay, but make sure to bring me back something strong."

Kahlan wagged a finger. "I don't mean alcohol."

"It wouldn't matter anyway. I've discovered I sober up fast. Must be those Flamer genes."

Kahlan rolled her eyes, and left in the blink of an eye.

Standing alone, Cara moved to lean over the rails of the patio, sizing up the 6-foot drop. She wondered if she should just take off now, save herself the embarrassment. Discussing with Kahlan what had transpired between them earlier was both scary and exhilarating. It was also shameful, as far as she was concerned. She should not be this drawn to the brunette, especially with the sexual aspect of the pull being gone. No, she needed to apologize for her earlier behavior.

Hearing the sound of scuffling against wood, she turned. A tall, muscular man emerged from the shadows, and halted at the sight of Cara. "Wow, you're stunning," he breathed. "You all alone out here?"

Cara leaned back on her forearms. "No, I'm not."

The man smiled in a wicked manner, one that didn't sit well with Cara at all. "You look alone to me. Maybe it's me you were waiting for?"

"Not likely," Cara frowned.

The man advanced on her, and Cara was too slow to avoid his hands on her wrists. "Leaving already?" His dark eyes challenged.

"Get the hell away from me, if you want to keep those damned dirty paws," Cara ground out, pulling in the opposite direction. She broke free just in time to catch a glimpse of Kahlan standing behind the bastard, two drinks in her hands.

"Cara, are you cheating on me?" Kahlan's voice was shriek-worthy and accusatory in tone, making the tall man look over his shoulder in her direction.

Cara was frozen stiff. _Cheating on you? What the hell?_ "Uh..."

Kahlan stepped in between the two, putting the drinks down on the table to their left. She then pulled Cara against her. They were so close Cara could feel Kahlan's heart beating wildly. Whether or not Kahlan needed a doctor at the moment was the least of Cara's worries, for her own body was quite immobile in Kahlan's embrace.

One of Kahlan's hands slipped down to curl possessively around Cara's left hip, just a few inches away from the tattoo, and the other arm went across her back. "Play along. I got this, okay?" Kahlan whispered into her ear, lips making a trail across the Mord-Sith's cheek as she drew back from the blond only slightly.

_Like I can do anything else._ Cara tried to silence the erratic thumping of her own heart. She couldn't focus on anything else but Kahlan's sensual form pressing against hers, Kahlan's hot breath against her lips.

Kahlan's face drew dangerously close, and Cara had no time to process before she felt the other woman's lips pressed softly against her own, moving there in a warm, slow and sensual manner. A hot tongue gently pressed at the line of her lips, and her mouth responded, opening just enough to allow it to slip in. Kahlan gave her a tempered, passionate kiss, blue eyes fluttering closed.

Cara felt "butterflies" in her stomach again, and her face flushed, the heat rushing throughout her entire body. _Mmm, Kahlan. __I...I..._ She tried to force herself to calm down, allowing the penetration of her mouth, and had just begun to respond slightly with her own tongue when Kahlan pulled back.

Kahlan's blue eyes blazed into her own, burning with something the blond couldn't quite identify. "If you're going to cheat on me, Cara, grab a woman next time. Makes for more fun with threesomes and all."

"I..." Cara saw the man move away with a disgusted face.

"Damn dykes," he moved back in through the side door.

The silence might have lasted for hours, Cara wasn't sure. What she was sure of was every inch of Kahlan's body pressed full length against hers. The scent of Kahlan's hair was even evident; it smelled like roses and sunshine.

Kahlan pulled back, hands sliding briefly down Cara's back before they completely withdrew. "You're a good actor, Cara. Had me fooled as much as the brooding fellow, I'm sure..." She looked toward the door the man had retreated through. "I'm sorry for having done that to you, but it didn't appear that he was going to leave any time soon, and I certainly didn't want you unleashing your power over something as petty as this."

Kahlan picked up the drinks from the table, handing one to Cara, and then moving away to stand by the rails.

Cara held the can tightly. Her mind was a mess, had short-circuited. _Why…did I... My body... It responded... Shouldn't I feel disgusted? Annoyed? _

"It was really stupid of me," Kahlan spoke over her shoulder. " I mean, I know you don't think of me in that way, and -"

- "That's not true!" Cara threw the can over the patio, marching toward Kahlan and instantly turning the brunette to face her.

"Cara?"

"Kahlan, I -," she ran a gentle hand down the other woman's cheek. "I need time to figure this out, okay?" Two hands raked through Kahlan's brilliant black hair. "I have...thoughts about you...I do. But I need... Can you just give me time?... Please?"

Kahlan ran a hand along Cara's face in turn. "Okay...Cara." She smiled softly. "Time."

And with that, Cara nodded and jumped over the patio.

"Cara!"

"Right now, I need time alone, Kahlan... To walk home alone."

Cara didn't walk, though. She ran.

IIII

An hour later, Kahlan sat in a tattoo parlor, half exposed. _God, Cara. I think I have it worse for you than I previously thought... _

_I think I..._

_...I might even be in love with you._

An artist tattooed the name "Cara" in cursive black under Kahlan's right breast. The same breast Cara had almost touched just hours earlier. As Kahlan was immortal, such piercings of the skin never lasted long, but she would have Asher take care of that.

IIII

At 4:00 AM, Cara sat at a desk by her window, sketching mindlessly. She didn't know exactly why, but once she'd arrived home, she'd felt compelled to draw. She hadn't drawn in two years. But she'd felt compelled to draw images of herself and Kahlan... Of herself and Kahlan making love. She didn't know if these images were visions, what she'd imagined things might have been like last night, or what she really wanted to happen soon. All she knew was that she needed to do this. And that she wanted to be looking into Kahlan's eyes, upon her face, when it happened.

She also needed more practice. Her skills were a tad rusty, she surmised.

"Damn it. No, Kahlan's lips should be smaller. Except for maybe when she pouts." Cara erased a few lines and re-drew them, perfected them. _Okay, so maybe she's pouting a bit here, but_... "Ah, it looks like she has four fingers... No, I see the pinky now." _Hidden a bit_._.. _"But, hell, my back shouldn't be that flat. And aren't my muscles more prominent than this? What about my ass? I have a better ass than that, I know... Arrggh." She moved on to a different version of the same sketch. She'd repeated the same sketch over and over again. Smaller versions, close-up versions, imprinted versions.

A knock was heard at the door. "Cara?"

"Yeah, ma?"

"I noticed your light on. Why are you still up, baby? You got school today."

Luckily, her mother hadn't gotten home until 2:00 AM, which spared Cara having to explain where she'd been for the past few hours. "I'm turning the light off now, ma."_ Like I need much sleep._ "I just needed to see something real quick."

"Okay. Have a good day, baby."

"I will. You too, ma. " She heard footsteps retreat, and sighed. She needed a shower anyway. A very cold one. Might as well stop now.

As for her car still left at the warehouse, she knew either Gicko or Kahlan had taken care of that, and she had no urge to look out the window and make sure.

In the next moment, Cara stood. She turned off the main light, but left on the lamp leaning over the drawings. The drawings of a woman she now knew meant a great deal to her.

_**CARA AND KAHLAN: REINCARNATION AMONG THE FLAMING DEAD**_

_**On the next episode:  
King Zombie is back, and with a killer plan. Cara wants to end things with Bobby but is tempted to change her mind, while Kahlan ends things with Big Bertha. Gicko becomes jealous of Hyper's interaction with Amber, and Cara's tryout for the track team leads to an intense confrontation with Kahlan while alone in the girls locker room.  
**_


	11. INTERLUDE 1

**Note:** **This is not Episode 4**. This was partly written to hold off readers until the next update of _Memories Guarded In Blue Paradise_, which will likely be two weeks or so from now (sorry for the delay; you might need to refresh your memories on what has transpired in that story). **This, however, is an interlude**. It often means :An entertainment between the acts of a play. But since this is not a play, it means "an intervening or interruptive period, space, or event **:** interval." Not sure how many more interludes there'll be for this story, or if there'll even be more, but here is the one:

**Summary: ** Kahlan, who has been feeling lonely for what seems like most of her life, unexpectedly meets Cara in a grocery store. It has been two days since their kiss at the night club, and Cara has come to a conclusion about herself. **This update starts out with a poem or rather quote (since it's not the typical poem style) **from Kahlan, and provides more insight into her feelings about having "found" Cara.

IIII

_**INTERLUDE 1: "You grocery shop?"**_

_How old am I? _

_This century, the next? How do I live this long? _

_Is it a blessing hidden in disguise? Or a curse, as it seemed from the start?_

_That I am only now just finding my true love, plucked beyond years of despair, beyond the trials and tribulations which left me dying, trying to find my match...even knowing that I would not._

_Did I know not?... And is this the end? _

_The end of the loneliness, the isolation of so long, the irritatingly, mind-numbingly insidious torture that has always left me asking... _

_How old am I? _

_You sure you want to know? _

IIII_  
_

Cara stood in the _Bigger and Better_ grocery store, late evening, dumbfounded. It's not like she never expected to bump into Kahlan outside of school, or their Flamer/Anchor duties, but she was still taken aback to see the gorgeous brunette in the produce section of the store selecting a bag of lettuce just several feet away from her. Standing there, bending over like that beside her buggy full of groceries, Kahlan looked just like any normal consumer. She was dressed in a red and black flannel shirt, completely uncharacteristic of her wardrobe, tucked into tight, black jeans. But at least she was still wearing high heels. God, Cara loved it when she wore high heels. And, really, Kahlan looked good in anything she decided to put on. She was even wearing the half-a-heart necklace Cara had given her; it was just dangling there from her neck as she bent over, while Cara's own matching piece was beneath her own shirt.

Cara took in a sharp breath and exhaled as she prepared to approach the woman. It was still light outside, but it would be dark soon enough, and she was trying to hurry in case facing an encounter with the undead. Sometimes, she craved the fight; other times, she wanted the annoying creatures expelled from the very Earth. It had been two days since she and Kahlan said more than a simple "hi" to each other - two days since their most recent kiss. Not because of zombie fighting or anything of the sort, but because of the awkwardness. Cara hadn't been able to rid herself of that kiss, or the way Kahlan had pressed up against her. If she wasn't sure before, she was pretty sure now - she desired the raven-haired beauty... Deeply. Her sketches from the other day were only a testament to that. Cara figured the only reason she and Kahlan hadn't truly talked since that day was because Kahlan had wanted to give her space, like she always did. She had wanted to give Cara time. Time without feeling pressured.

Cara sighed. Resolute and determined to engage her mate, she pushed her buggy past the other consumers walking by and stopped behind the woman. "Hey," she smiled.

Kahlan, still bending over and assessing some produce, jumped at the voice, turning to Cara with wide-eyed alarm. "Ca-Cara."

"Ka-Kahlan," teased the blond.

"I...," she put the bag of lettuce in her buggy and shrugged nervously. "I didn't follow you here. I promise."

"I know you're not a stalker, Kahlan," grinned Cara. "You've proven that enough by avoiding me."

This time, Kahlan had been trying to take her mind off of the gorgeous blond. And now, seeing Cara in a gray, midriff-baring top and short blue jean shorts with snug bear-slippers was taking the brunette's mind right back to all the nasty little things she'd been daydreaming of doing with the Mord-Sith just hours earlier. "I wasn't avoiding you either. Not this time," stated Kahlan.

Kahlan was doing that penetrating glare thing again. "I know," Cara looked to the floor under the seemingly powerful scrutiny. After a few moments of silence, she met Kahlan's eyes once again. "Why do you look at me like that?"

"Like what?" Kahlan's stare did not change, but it did intensify.

Cara gulped. "Like you're looking into my soul."

"I'm..." Kahlan diverted her eyes to a couple of children fighting over a bag of chips in a close-by aisle. "I'm sorry, Cara.. It's just a part of my Confessor past, I've come to learn."

"Reading people?"

Kahlan looked at her. "Yes."

"So were you reading me just now?"

"I..."

"What are you even doing here, Kahlan? I mean, you grocery shop?"

The question seems to ease the tension, and Kahlan laughs. "You thought I teleported all the goods to my house?"

"Yeah," grinned Cara.

Kahlan laughed some more.

"No," Cara corrected herself. "You've told me how your power works - mostly personal items, familiarity, and knowing an object's exact location. So unless you knew exactly where the lettuce and other items were, I doubt teleportation would have worked. It would take one of your 'special skills' for that. And no cities or anything too wild. And certainly no stealing...unless it's an emergency." _...Or unless it's my pizza._

Kahlan's bottom lip curled in amusement. "I'm impressed."

"See, I listen to you."

"It would seem."

"I just figured you had maids or butlers who did this sort of thing for you. I mean, I know you said you live alone," Cara furrowed her eyebrows.

"I do."

"I just wasn't sure if you ate that much, despite liking to."

"I do," Kahlan stated it again, this time arching an eyebrow."

Kahlan was doing it again, eyeing her like prey. Every time the brunette talked about the pleasure she got from eating, Cara sensed she was talking about something other than food. "But what about this?" Cara tried to change the subject, briefly pulling at Kahlan's left sleeve. "Flannel?"

Kahlan smiled. "Well, your mother did seem to like me in this type of material."

"That's because you didn't look like a slut," Cara paused, "like my other friends."

Kahlan laughed.

"With the exception of Gicko... Because Hyper? Let's just say she likes to show it off."

"And what about you?" Kahlan nearly grabbed at the bottom of Cara's top but halted halfway there for fear of direct skin contact. "I was under the impression that you never bared your belly."

"Belly?" Cara smirked. "It's okay to call them what they are, Kahlan - abs."

Kahlan giggled. "Smug, are we?"

"Indeed."

"Abs then."

"I decided to show my abs," Cara said it with vindication and laughed, "because I feel different lately."

_Different?_ Now this very much interested Kahlan. Not that she wasn't always interested in what Cara had to say. "Different how?" she asked.

Cara narrowed her eyes on Kahlan's cart. "Actually, my mom's the reason I'm here, picking up a few things for her." She moved to rummage through Kahlan's groceries. "What is all this stuff?"

_Changing subjects. The woman's a pro at it_. "Mostly vegetables," Kahlan observed the buggy as well.

"Vegetables?" Cara picked out a carrot and bit on it lazily. "Don't you eat any real food?"

"Real food?"

"Yes, Kahlan, real food. Let me show you," Cara threw the carrot back into Kahlan's cart and pushed her own along.

Kahlan watched Cara move past her.

"You coming?" Cara called over her shoulder.

"Oh." Kahlan turned her buggy around and quickly pulled up next to the blond.

They pushed along in silence, watching people converse, shop, give them annoyed looks.

"I think we're taking up a good part of the lane," stated Kahlan.

"Well, I'd rather have you at my side than trailing behind me," replied Cara. "They'll just have to deal."

Kahlan didn't know exactly why, but that statement warmed her heart.

_No_...she knew why. It was something about the equality in it. There were many times in her past when she was considered below equal. And she'd never had a lover that quite matched up to her. _Perhaps that is one of the reasons I find Cara so intriguing_?

"In here," Cara pulled her buggy into an aisle. "Potato Chip Central. That's what I call it anyway."

Kahlan moved in after her, looking around curiously. "Yes, I noticed two children over here earlier. They were quarreling over a bag."

"I can see why," Cara moved to stand before a sour cream & onion brand. "All the good stuff is here." She picked up a bag and ripped it open.

"Cara!" screamed Kahlan.

"What?... I'm going to pay for it." She popped a chip into her mouth, then turned to Kahlan. "Want?"

"No, I do not 'want'," Kahlan tried to pull the bag from Cara's hand. "To taste without purchase is incorrigible."

Cara backed up, wagging a finger at Kahlan. "Ah, ah. I like this brand because it reminds me of you." Cara watched Kahlan with amusement. _Kahlan is so cute when she's all righteous and 'must do the right thing.' _Cara suddenly shook her head with distaste._Ugh. Did I just say that?_

"It..." Kahlan folded her arms across her chest. "Are you comparing me to a potato chip?"

"That I am," Cara popped another chip into her mouth and rubbed her belly for exaggerated effect, grinning wide at Kahlan.

"And what do I taste like?"

Cara nearly choked, bending over with rough coughs.

Kahlan just watched. Two could play this game._ If Cara has the nerve to say I am sour, creamy and onion-like, the least she can do is clarify._

After two more rough coughs, worried passers-by, and silent giggling from Kahlan, Cara finally got a hold of herself, straightening up to look at Kahlan. "You...you never tasted sour cream & onion chips before?"

"No," Kahlan tapped her foot but kept her gaze trained on Cara.

"Jesus, woman," Cara pulled a single chip from her bag and put the rest in her buggy, "what time are you from?" She handed the lone chip to Kahlan. "Here. Taste."

"I..."

"Kahlan, I'm paying for it."

Kahlan sighed, but reluctantly took the chip and bit on it. After a few more moments, she was clearly enjoying the snack. "It's good," she stated very matter of factly.

"Why does it remind me of you?" Cara asked. "I don't quite know. A lot of foods have been doing that lately. Reminding me of you... Like anything that's too sour, because our interactions have been a sour subject more often than not."

Kahlan finished the chip with tempered curiosity. _What is Cara trying to say? Why does she always sound like she both likes and hates me? _"And can you readily name these other foods that make you think about me?"

Cara just smiled.

IIII

Cara and Kahlan visited various aisles, Cara using her favorite foods and food products to describe her feelings for Kahlan. _Feelings_, Kahlan wondered. _Does Cara have true feelings for me? Not just the 'I have to deal with her' aspects_?

Cara used a peach to emphasize the woman's sweetness, a bottle of hot sauce to emphasize the woman's feistiness and strong will, lettuce to reinforce the woman's "obsession" with health, and steak to compare with the woman's tough exterior. Kahlan felt the steak was more so representative of Cara's inability to emotionally 'let anyone in.' _Anyone other than her mother, that is_. But she didn't tell Cara this. The blond had also selected a pizza to signify "theft," which Kahlan didn't find amusing in the least. "You're never going to let that pizza incident go, are you?" she asked the Mord-Sith. "Nope," Cara had grinned.

Of course, the two had done some real shopping in between, and Cara had insisted Kahlan taste all the treats she'd never tasted before. Because of this, Kahlan spent this time experiencing all these "firsts" with Cara, something she found intimate and amazing. Cara's shopping cart had become filled with namely junk food...and with a few of the requested healthier foods for her mother. Not to mention, half of the stuff was partially eaten. It was such a contrast to Kahlan's cart, that Kahlan briefly wondered if they were right for each other at all.

And now they were in a candy and treats aisle, Cara biting into a bar of chocolate before Kahlan, their buggies behind them. "...And so, with all the stupid discussions I have with other assholes my age," stated Cara, "it makes sense that I find you so refreshing... I mean..." _Wrong words. _"I mean, you're not an asshole, Kahlan." _Except for when you caused me to get a tattoo of your name on my ass._

Kahlan leaned back against the shelves. "You're saying you like talking to me more, because the true kids your age -"

"- Talk about partying, breakups and makeups, who they screwed last night. Generally, stuff like that. It's all they talk about, and it's like they never truly want to get to know the person. But you..."

"I what?" Kahlan arched an eyebrow. _If she says, I'm ancient, I'll..._

"Aside from Gicko and Hyper, you seem to really care what I think. You even look at me like... It's... I can't describe it any other way."

Kahlan stood up straight, smirking. "You do realize you've been talking about what you love about me for the past thirty minutes now?"

Cara shrugged. "I wouldn't say 'love'," she pulled the wrapper to her candy bar farther down. "Did you know my breath stays the same after I eat now? It doesn't smell or anything," Cara blew hot air into her free palm and sniffed.

Kahlan continued to be amused. "Neither does mine."

"It's just I think I have it all figured out now," Cara waved her candy bar at Kahlan.

"What figured out?"

"My sexuality," she paused, furrowing her brows up at the brunette. "I'm heteroflexible."

Kahlan giggled. _Did she just say that?_... "Hetero-what?"

"Heteroflexible, Kahlan," Cara frowned. "Haven't you ever heard of it? It's a perfectly valid sexual orientation."

Kahlan giggled harder.

Cara scowled. "It's not funny."

A few people pushed buggies past the two, selecting items and then moving on.

"Enlighten me," stated Kahlan.

"Well..." Cara waited for Kahlan to finish up her giggling. "It means I'm straight, but I may dabble in same-sex interaction from time to time." Kahlan started to speak, but Cara interrupted, "Not that I've ever dabbled...except for with you. And it doesn't mean 'bi.' It's a bit distinct from bisexuality."

Kahlan didn't know how to respond. Cara speaking about sexuality at any time always did manage to speed up her heart rate...and make her mind go elsewhere in thought. "And so homoflexible would be the opposite of heteroflexible?"

"Yes."

"Well, then how do you know you're not the latter, given your minor attraction to Bobby and seemingly lack of attraction to any other male?"

"Because I'm just...not."

Kahlan raked her gaze over the blond's form. _Cara is admitting her attraction to me? Cara is saying that she may not be the heterosexual she thought she was?_

Cara, seeming to notice Kahlan's sudden uncomfortable demeanor, decided to play on it. "You know," she inched closer, "they say chocolate is an aphrodisiac..." She narrowed her eyes on Kahlan's bosom. "Want a bite?"

"I...I..." Kahlan stuttered.

Cara threw the bar over her shoulder, and it landed perfectly in the cart. She then proceeded to place both arms against the shelves at either side of Kahlan's head, trapping the brunette where she was. "I think about you, Kahlan."

"You...you've been clear about that, Cara," Kahlan licked her lips.

Cara looked to Kahlan's throat, using the necklace there to pull Kahlan even closer to her. "You think about me?"

Kahlan couldn't decide if that was a trick question or not, but she suddenly saw an elderly couple out of her peripheral vision casting disapproving looks their way and concluded that this needed to end now. No matter that it was quite surprising that Cara was willing to publicly engage in this type of intimacy with her. "Cara..." she breathed. "This isn't the place to..."

Cara pulled back frowning, looking to her left to see the elderly couple. "Let's go somewhere...private," she grit her teeth and then pushed ahead.

Kahlan felt all she could do was follow.

IIII

Some distance away from the bathrooms, Cara spotted a kid around the age of thirteen in an aisle; he looked to be waiting for someone. "Hey, kid, wanna make a quick buck?" asked Cara as she pulled up to him, Kahlan stopping close behind.

"Cara, I don't think -"

"- Kahlan, I got this." She turned back to the youth. So how about it, kid?"

The young one looked up at Cara as though he himself were a pro at bargaining. "Okay, fine. But whatever you have in mind, it had better require more than a buck."

Cara laughed. _Now this is my kind of kid._ "Watch these buggies for us, will you? While we go to the restroom for a bit, and I'll pay you twenty dollars when we get back."

"Twenty dollars?" the boy's eyebrows shot up in surprise."You're on!" But after a moment, his features became concerned. "But my mother... She's close by, and -"

" - Just tell her what I told you," Cara grabbed Kahlan's hand and pulled her toward the bathrooms.

Again, Kahlan found that she could only follow.

IIII

Cara pulled Kahlan in through the bathroom door, immediately locking it behind them.

Kahlan admired the other woman's half exposed back as she did...those marvelous legs...that wonderfully firm ass. "Cara, what are you -"

"Shh -," Cara moved past her to bend down and check under each and every stall. Once done, she turned to view Kahlan standing in the area between the mirrors and door. Cara's look was positively predatory, very much the lioness sizing up its prize, and it made Kahlan take a step back in anticipation of just where this confrontation was going.

Cara moved to Kahlan. She stared for a few seconds before deciding to circle her.

"Cara, I thought you wanted to talk."_ Now that just sounds naive... But this can't be happening. This can't be Cara. _Kahlan felt Cara push up behind her, apparently sniffing her hair. "Why are we-"

She was cut off by Cara forcibly spinning her around and pushing her into the wall beside the mirrors; Cara pinned both of Kahlan's hands to the wall at either side of her head and then just eyed the woman.

Kahlan watched that beautiful face with barely contained excitement. A bathroom was the least sexiest place she could imagine. Even with Big Bertha, it hadn't been tempered. But with Cara...it was absolutely erotic.

"Do you hate me, Kahlan?" Cara's gaze traveled over Kahlan's form as she held the other woman in place.

Kahlan squirmed a bit. "No... I don't hate you, Cara." _I could never hate you. I lov-_

"Because I hate me," Cara looked up at Kahlan, eyes seemingly on the brink of tears. "I don't want to want you...but god help me, I do."

Kahlan wanted to speak, to say something to ease the sorrow on that face, the ache in that heart, but she didn't know where to begin. And she was completely spellbound by the emotion spilling from the blond.

"I think about you, Kahlan."

"You...you said that earlier," Kahlan managed to breathe out.

Cara leaned into her, eyeing her lips and then her face again. Their eyes locked, sealing them away in their own little world. "And do you know what those thoughts entail?"

"I - I could guess." Kahlan's breasts heaved, and Cara pushed into them with her own. _Christ! _

"I hate being weak," Cara nearly purred into Kahlan's hair. "Thinking of you makes me weak... Makes me gay or bi. I don't know."

"Cara..."

"At Tanya's house, there on that bed, I wanted to touch you," Cara's gaze faltered to Kahlan's chest.

Kahlan was struggling to breathe. The room was suddenly too small. And she was quite sure Cara was passing some very literal Flamer heat into her. _What is this every time we're so close?__ The sexual pull is gone, so...  
_

"What is this?" asked Cara, as if hearing Kahlan's thoughts, looking over every aspect of Kahlan's body. "This draw I feel to you again? Is it a new pull?"

Kahlan simply took in a sharp intake of breath before exhaling.

"I want to touch you in certain places, Kahlan," Cara looked back up to face the other woman. "Do you want to touch me?"

Kahlan licked her own lips, almost if to keep from salivating. "Yes, Cara," she said above a whisper.

"Did you want to touch me back at Tanya's?"

"Yes, Cara." Same whisper.

"And did you know I was thoroughly aroused?" Cara pressed into Kahlan, never diverting her eyes.

Kahlan almost yelped. But instead, "Yes," she spoke softly again.

"And do you want to kiss me now?" Cara's lips were just an inch away.

"Cara..."

"I love it when you say my name that way," Cara let go of Kahlan's arms, moving back a bit to stroke her hair.

Kahlan looked like a scared nun who'd heard or seen too much, and didn't budge as her arms remained where they were. She surveyed Cara with a penetrating, curious gaze. One full of hunger...and an all-consuming lust.

"How long has it been since you..." Cara continued to play with the brunette's wavy strands, using her right hand.

_Don't do this, Cara._ _Get me excited this way. Play me like this. I don't know what it is you want, but it never truly seems to be me._

"I need a sample, Kahlan," Cara twirled a few strands before looking into Kahlan's eyes. "A sample to know I would be making the right choice by choosing you over Bobby."

Kahlan knocked the other woman's hand away with a frown. "And what happens if I were to give you 'this sample' and you still picked him?"

"Kahlan," Cara smirked, gliding a hand down the brunette's right arm, leaving goose bumps in its wake.

"And wouldn't you need a sample from him too?"

"No," Cara suddenly grabbed both of Kahlan's hands, intertwining their fingers. "You know damn well I don't think of Bobby that way."

"Then be with me," Kahlan stepped closer, squeezing Cara's hands and sounding a bit desperate. She used her most soul-searing gaze. "And only me."

"A sample, Kahlan." Cara unlocked their hands, and used her right one to reach down and grasp at Kahlan's crotch, making the brunette jump at the unexpected contact.

"Cara..." Kahlan closed her eyes. "Is that all you think about when you're with me?... Sex?"

"No," Cara reached for the zipper.

Kahlan's blue eyes flung open, meeting determined green ones. "What did I tell you about tasting without purchase?" There was a pause. And then, "Don't enter...unless you plan to stay," she spoke softly.

Cara smirked, a curve of her lips that was more primal than anything, and began to slide the zipper down...slowly...

...more slowly...

...breath hot against breath...

...blue eyes challenging green eyes...

...And then...

Knock! Knock! "Hello? Anyone in there?" came a voice from the other side of the door.

Cara scowled, ceasing her actions with clear annoyance as she looked toward the door. "I knew that was going to happen. Like clockwork." She glanced back at Kahlan and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks for the talk, Kahlan."

Kahlan was speechless.

Cara stalked over to the door, unlocked it and yanked it open, frowning at the two women glowering her way. She then pushed past them and out the door.

"What rudeness," stated the plumper of the two, moving into the bathroom with barely any acknowledgment of the brunette standing there against the wall.

"People think they can just hog public bathrooms all to themselves these days," mumbled the other.

IIII

Outside the bathroom, Cara handed the kid his money. His mother had returned at his side and looked as though she was about to scold Cara, but Cara wasn't having any of it and waved her off as she grabbed hold of her own buggy beside Kahlan's and simply pushed away. _Should have been watching your child anyway. _

Cara had enough on her mind. Like what she'd just done to Kahlan back there near the stalls. She knew it was unfair to the brunette, to have proposed such a thing, but she'd been taken over by her weakness for the girl. Sexual weakness. Sexual weakness and insecurities. Some part of her needed to know that Kahlan truly wanted her. Needed to hear Kahlan say it...again. And she needed to be sure that Kahlan was the right person to share her life with, in each and every way, before cutting Bobby loose. What if she were to bed Kahlan and regret it afterward? Had already turned Bobby away, when she could have had a nice, traditional life with him?

_Ugh. _Traditional life was not Cara's style, but Bobby was a nice guy, and she was semi-attracted to him. There was also the very real fact that her mother would keel over before accepting her with a woman. Then again, her mother didn't like Bobby either. _Damn it.__ It is all so frustrating. _

Cara pushed her buggy up to a check-out counter, sighing deeply. She only hoped Kahlan wouldn't follow after her. She didn't know what she would do if the raven-haired girl did.

IIII

Kahlan stood there in the same position Cara had left her in, stiff as a board and more confused than ever before. She was also furious as all the Underworld. Cara had done it again - left her wanton and alone. Gotten her all excited about the prospects of finally sharing a life - a true life - together. Not just one built around sex and duty.

Kahlan frowned, finally moving off the wall. She couldn't just let Cara get away with this. Leave after getting her all worked up...again. No... She needed to get a hold of the stubborn Mord-Sith and teleport her to what could be their bedchambers. To sate this hunger, fill this emptiness in her own heart, make her whole again.

Kahlan dashed for the door, and yanked it open, leaving the other women to look after her oddly.

_My bedchambers_. _If I can just get Cara there, everything will work out fine. She wants me without question...Okay, maybe a few questions, but I can calm her fears, make her see what I see, as she feels what I feel. The love I have for her._

"Cara!" Kahlan called out into the passageway by the bathroom, earning her various looks from bystanders all around. Noticing the scrutiny, and that Cara was nowhere in sight, Kahlan shied away, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. Her buggy was where it had been left, but Cara and the kid were long gone. "Just as well," Kahlan surmised. If she had bedded Cara and Cara wasn't ready, the result wouldn't have been pretty. _What's wrong with you? You know sex doesn't solve everything,_ she sighed.

Kahlan knew more than anyone the confusion over sexuality. And though she knew this, she had been unable to provide Cara with words of wisdom back there in the middle of the act. She did, however, remember that Cara needed time. And that was exactly what she planned to give her.

Kahlan hugged herself, looking distantly into an empty aisle. She didn't feel like grocery shopping anymore. Or painfully coming across Cara in a check-out line, assuming Cara went ahead and purchased the items her mother sought. _Mother's girl_, Kahlan smiled weakly. _Of course she did_.

Giving the store one last look-over, she vanished. Today would not be the day her loneliness ended. The day she no longer felt compelled to ask..."H_ow old am I?" _

In actuality...she knew exactly how old she was.


	12. EPISODE 4, PART 1

**Note: **The harshest curse words have been bleeped out (mainly the F-word), since this is the PG-13/TV-14 version. The uncensored version is at LiveJournal under the same title/same user name.

This series — _Flaming Dead_ — **has been changed to present tense** (yep, that means previous parts too; I will be working on transferring all of that over time), because I feel that present tense is more inline with episode formats...even if this is book format. Basically, I feel that present tense makes more sense for fiction anyway, since we are viewing it in our heads as happening in the present. Although, I do love reading either present or past tense. Once this is done, this part of the note will be removed. And to newbies to this series, don't feel that it's too late to comment on any part. I appreciate comments and even feel that they are essential to motivating fanfic writers to continue on with a story, as most of my readers know. In fact, the only reason I'm still updating this story is due to readers. Not for myself. I like it well enough, but I would have been quit telling this tale if I felt people generally weren't interested/didn't care. I'm busy enough as it is, LOL.

IIII

**Previously:** **(on Episode 3) ** The gang are back to fighting creatures of the night. Kahlan is given advice about her love life, and ponders what to do about her feelings for Cara, while Cara seeks other means regarding her own confusing feelings. This comes just as the two are invited to a slumber party, which ultimately forces the duo into intimate interaction with each other. Meanwhile, Hyper becomes the crush of one new, very mysterious girl. **(On the Interlude)** Kahlan, who has been feeling lonely for what seems like most of her life, unexpectedly meets Cara in a grocery store. It has been two days since their kiss at the night club, and Cara has come to a conclusion about herself.

**And now:**

**Episode 4 summary:** King Zombie is back, and with his most lethal plan yet. Kahlan ends things with Big Bertha, while Cara wants to end things with Bobby but is tempted to change her mind. Both women remain conflicted about what type of relationship it is they should have, but Kahlan is determined for Cara to make a well thought-out decision. Cara wonders what this "well thought-out decision" must entail, just as another shows interest in her. Gicko becomes jealous of Hyper's interaction with Amber, and Cara's tryout for the track team leads to an intense confrontation with Kahlan while alone in the girls locker room.**  
**

**Episode:** **"Replacing You"**

**ACT 1**

"They can have children?" questions Gicko. "But how is that even possible?"

Cara watches her brown-haired friend with tepid humor. Sitting across from the confused up-and-coming wizard, she can practically see the wheels turning in his head. _How can Cara knock Kahlan up? Is Cara a hermaphrodite? Is Kahlan? Do they have some hidden appendage they never told any of us about?_

Cara nearly laughs. Gicko is always so easy to read. Certainly easier than Hyper. Or the woman currently on her mind — Kahlan Amnell.

It's a Saturday night. Three days since the group defeated the eiterlon and welcomed Amber (the loyal banshee meant to look after the O'Connor family) into their fold. And one day since the "bathroom incident" with Kahlan. Just one extra day, and Cara already feels drained. Drained of energy. Drained of emotions. Drained of all things termed "sexual confusion." The past week has come and gone so fast that Cara isn't even sure she is in the same reality. Monday and Tuesday had been filled with the mystery of a creature who could tear a person to shreds and leave them marked with tattoos in the process. Early Wednesday had led them to discover this creature as Tanya Livingston, a high school peer who'd been on vacation and had returned to Firesridge as an eiterlon (a rival demon to the banshee, often targeting those the banshees are sworn to "protect"). And Wednesday had also been the day Cara and Kahlan had shared their second kiss. That kiss, as brief as it was, had been so soul-searing that, in the hours following, it'd inspired Cara to draw intimate pictures of herself with the brunette. It was like a chain reaction; these intimate pictures, the seed they'd planted, had then caused Cara to act impulsively, luring Kahlan into a public bathroom just two days later and expecting "a taste."

_How stupid was I? _Cara sighs, her mind coming back to the present. Around her, the others are chatting endlessly. Blondes has called the whole group here to the school playground, old members and new, wanting everyone to become "better acquainted." _It's better to know each other's strengths and weaknesses before fighting together_, he'd told them. He, along with Asher (another Youngster concerned with the welfare of Firesridge), had also told them details of Cara and Kahlan's union. So much so that, in the last hour, they'd discussed parts of Cara's upbringing (most of which Cara was uncomfortable with), Cara's past life as a Mord-Sith (visuals Cara had been trying to avoid, and still avoided tonight), Kahlan's past life as the Mother Confessor, and Cara and Kahlan secretly spending time together. Kahlan's ability to anchor Cara in "unbelievable ways" had also been discussed, but never specified (disregarding the tidbit about sex between the two being able to keep Cara's power intact 'almost always').

Needless to say, tonight's meeting has more so been about "getting to know" Cara and Kahlan better than any individual member of the group. There hadn't even been discussion of Hyper's power advancing so quickly and having decimated the eiterlon in their previous big fight. But of course Blondes and Asher had given up on that direction much earlier, being unable to find any answers to the woman's drastically increased powers. They reasoned it was just 'part of the package'... That some powers advance more quickly than others.

"It's possible," Blondes answers Gicko's query, taking over for Asher, "because Cara has something called the 'Flamer seed,' which allows her to carry on the Flamer line through her anchor."

"Ew," Gicko furrows his brows. "You mean like sperm?"

Blondes and Asher stand contemplating before the holographic screen. In recent days, Blondes has begun a physical change, largely due to Asher's influence. His jet black hair now sporadically sprouts blond pieces, likely as signals to his true appearance, and his facial hair has greatly diminished (only a five o'clock shadow remaining). Asher's five o'clock shadow, on the other hand, has completely vanished. He still sports "kids' clothes," currently donning your typical T-shirt-baggy-pants-and-tennis-shoes look, but remains wise beyond his years. As he's just visited his own Flamer and things are in order there, he has decided to make an appearance here, often feeling that this town needs him more, and — because of this — assisting Blondes quite regularly. "Assistance," however, is not what Cara would call their current exchange.

What is this? Some "Flamer/Anchor Sex Ed 101 "_competition?_ Every now and then, one of two bumps the other, both trying to one-up each other as though vying for some non-existent "Best Youngster" title.

"Sperm is a good way of putting it, yes," Asher butts in, index finger raised. "But not like the sperm you and other males produce." The screen suddenly displays what looks to be an outline of Cara's body. "Because Cara is female," Asher proceeds, "the 'Flamer seed' is present with the vaginal fluids." Gicko makes a disgusted face; Asher ignores it. "To impregnate Kahlan, those fluids would need to journey up into Kahlan's vaginal tract," the screen shows fluid leading from Cara's body to an outline of Kahlan's, "and there it would act as male sperm would."

Cara's lips purse, her eyes focusing elsewhere.

Beside Gicko is Hyper, snuggling up to Amber. Both are exchanging smiles and whispers, endearment upon endearment, and Cara wonders how it is they've become so close. She figures if she were Gicko, she might be going insane as well. Seeing him there, his peripheral vision moving back and forth between the two, there is no doubt that he still wants the fast-talking prodigy. _How can she not see this? _Cara frowns.

And then Cara's eyes are on Kahlan. The brunette stands at the opposite end of the table, jaw firm, gaze hard on the screen. She has on that dark cloak again, the mysterious effect of it always making Cara want to know even more about her. That, coupled with the fact that she has yet to look Cara's way, is steadily working on the blond's nerves.

_No doubt she's still angry with me. __But to be so damn stoic when others discuss our sex lives?_

_Or lack there of, _Cara sighs, realizing that she, too, must seem pretty "stoic" at the moment. She's not exactly the embarrassed type. And if others want to discuss her bedroom options, then so be it. It's no different than high school, where everyone already speculates on which boy she will f**k next.

The screen shows a small, sperm-like creation reaching its destination — one of many eggs — and attacking swiftly, all the while glowing a bright red.

Blondes bumps Asher aside, "But this is only in the case of Flamers and anchors," he says. "If Cara were a male, she'd be able to impregnate any female. But because her own DNA reads as 'female,' it only takes on the duty of 'male' in cases such as these, where there are two women involved." He glances between the aforementioned women. "If Cara were to mate with a male, her body would continue to act as any female's would, continuing the Flamer line that way."

Gicko's features soften from "repulsed" to "intrigued," apparently soothed by the fact Cara is "all woman," even if "all woman with a little umph." He straightens up. "I see... But then how would Cara's 'seed' reach Kahlan's..." His face contorts into confusion before his mind catches up "...Oh."

Hyper laughs, pushing the glasses steadily back up on her nose. "That's good and all, but what of two males? Are Flamers and anchors ever both men?"

"No," Asher moves in front of Blondes. "The Flamer power is only interested in the union of two individuals who can carry on the Flamer line. As men cannot give birth, and not even the Flamer power can permit a man to do so, the union of two males is fruitless."

"Jeez, talk about discrimination," Hyper grins into Amber's neck.

"And so knowing all of this," Gicko adds," ...about Cara and Kahlan's sexcapades will help us how?"

"Because if they mate, it will enhance the Flamer's abilities immensely, which is beneficial to the group," Blondes answers blankly. "We've been through this already. You needed to know every detail of the Flamer/Anchor bond."

"And yet we still don't know what these 'immense improvements' will be, seeing as you won't tell us," Gicko points out.

"No. We won't. It is better that the Flamer and anchor find out for themselves," Asher folds his arms across his chest. "Further, every such union around the world will deviate in its effect on a Flamer."

"But from what I understand," Hyper clears her throat. "Kahlan already knows what effect it will have on Cara." She directs her gaze to the brunette, who remains stoic. "It was you who told her the specifics so that she may bed Cara immediately."

"I told her some things, yes," Asher admits, "but that, as you know, is because without their anchor, the Flamer is generally at risk of 'overheating.' Their powers can easily spin out of control. And Cara, as a newbie, was more vulnerable to that. King Zombie was already intent on unleashing Raising Ground, and having the two mate as soon as possible seemed essential to stopping that." He pins Cara with determined eyes. "Whether or not I told Kahlan some details, it does not negate the fact that the sexual union of some Flamers and anchors can be unique in their outcome. Most of the basics are the same, but -"

"- And, so you what...want us to pressure the two into bumping uglies?" Amber finally chimes in, light brown eyes emanating with mischief. "Pretty boy over there does have a point," she briefly glances Gicko's way. "We could've been going over more of my past. Hyper's mega-power. Or exactly why it is so few Youngsters exist. But no... Here, we are discussing any and everything there is to know about Flamers and anchors sexing each other up, as if our lives depend upon it." She leans back on her elbows, cocking a grin. "So again, I ask: Are we to mastermind a sexy rendezvous for the two or what?"

Hyper giggles.

Gicko blushes.

Cara smirks.

Kahlan remains stone-faced.

"I, um..." both Blondes and Asher clear their throats.

"We are quite certain that Cara and Kahlan can manage on their own," Asher looks from the blond to the brunette.

"Cara's mother," Gicko spits out, and the entire gang looks his way at the change of subject.

Gicko has always found it weird that Ms. Pyro's mother had escaped some type of child endangerment charges. For certain, kicking a pregnant 11-year-old girl out of the house would not have gone so unnoticed. But what confuses him more are the names. "Cara's mother holds the name 'Pyro'," he says, "but it's been implied that Cara's power came from her father. If that's true, then 'Pyro' is an odd name for her mother to have, isn't it?"

Blondes and Asher look to each other.

Gicko continues on, "Whose bloodline enabled Cara to -"

"- That's enough." Cara stands, directing her gaze at Gicko in warning.

Hyper appears oblivious to the warning, however. "Blondes and Asher did say that not all Flamers are activated," she begins. "Some go their whole lives without ever knowing of their power. It could be that Cara and her mother simply selected an odd name, back when Cara requested a name change. I mean, I sure as hell never heard her mother's maiden name back then. And we all figured 'Mason' belonged to her father, so -"

"- I said that's enough!" Cara yells. And this time, Kahlan does look her way. "You can talk about my past as a Mord-Sith. You can even talk about my 'destined' sex life. But discussion of that bastard is off-limits." Her eyes bore into Kahlan's just as intensely as Kahlan's seem to bore into hers.

"But, Cara," Hyper interjects, "we were only trying to learn more about your upbringing, just as earlier when -"

"- And I hated talk of it earlier too!" her eyes whip to her geeky companion, "Who," her teeth grate violently, "I got the powers from is irrelevant." She looks to Blondes and Asher for confirmation. "Isn't that right, you two?" a single eyebrow arches in challenge.

Blondes and Asher cough roughly, clearing their throats immediately. "Right, right. Of course," they answer simultaneously, viewing Cara's now bright red fists.

Just as everything seems to calm down, one of the group's attention is called elsewhere:

"Hey, what's that?" Hyper squints at the screen.

Everyone's gaze directs there, to the large maze-like symbol being projected. Golden and resembling a snake, it has two skull symbols in its center.

"I don't know," Blondes studies the image.

"Neither do I," Asher rubs his chin. "But if it's associated with Cara and Kahlan, we need to learn of it. Now."

Cara scoffs. "If you ask me," she turns nonchalantly, "we should go over Kahlan's past as an immortal... How immortals are made, why it is Asher has kept her out of holographic record... Stuff like that."

Asher appears to wince.

Cara and Kahlan stare each other down. It is an unwavering, all-consuming stare.

IIII

Since before the zombie uprising, the graveyard of the undead has represented lost dreams and dreams torn asunder, the many bones and skulls scattered about reminiscent of souls bound to the earth by keepers of the Underworld themselves.

At one such graveyard...Firesridge, downtown...screams reverberate off dirt walls many feet below.

"Silence!" yells "Leisar." It is a name once uttered at birth by his mother. A name unworthy of his stature, his bloodline. His current title, on the other hand — the chosen combination of "King Zombie" — exudes a power and superiority others could only hope to possess. It is what he is. A king. A leader among these lesser creatures who do not shy away from their need for direction.

"I said 'silence!'" he slashes at the naked, shivering man strapped to the wooden board below him. The man's throat is cut, his insides are being pulled out every which way by several, small, sharp-toothed zombies, and he cries for dear god. His bruised arms fail him as he attempts to strike his attackers.

Beside the man lies a woman, looking very much the same. She sees the monsters. Wonders if she's dreaming. But the pain is too severe to be a simple nightmare — these creatures of rotting flesh, muscular arms and yellow-eyes, ripping at her skin. Their elongated teeth bear as they growl, but they do not eat. They torture.

The armored one, veins violently pulsating along his burned skin, appears to be the leader, she notices. His eyes are red instead of yellow, his ears pointy instead of round (visible through the slits of his helmet), and his teeth at least four inches longer. He rips at the hole in her boyfriend's chest. Her beautiful, beautiful boyfriend. The man she'd committed herself to hours earlier. The man she'd barely made love to before walking corpses sprang from the shadows, eager to attack.

She would scream. Scream for the injustice of it all.

She would... If she still had a tongue.

For three weeks, King Zombie has planned this, distracting the Flamer while he and his minions searched for the perfect specimens. In exchange for his leathers, he dons the best golden and bronze armor, similar to those worn by the Greek gods of legend, and has informed his best warriors to prepare themselves as well. Building tough skin through excessive feeding is typical of those wanting 'natural' armor. And with this fight, they will need it.

"Ancients, hear me..." King Zombie holds a hand up into the air. "With the offering of empty shells," he rips the heart out of the lifeless male, "keys occurring so rarely that they are gifts to be looked upon, the two shall rise from the dead, rise from their sacred burial ground, upsetting time and rules bound by fate." He squeezes the still-beating organ. "Their past forms begging for recognition, they will appear before the Flamer and anchor, disturbing what is there and what has always been...relinquishing the world into chaos."

IIII

Two days later, Monday morning, Kahlan stands in front of Cara's home...wondering how it is she wound up here. But she knows why.

C_ara... Cara is irresistible to me. _

After the meeting on Saturday, the blond had made a point of catching Kahlan before she vanished, pulling her by the arm and boring sea-green eyes into hers. "_My place. Monday before school_," the other woman had whispered.

And now Kahlan stands just a few feet away from her mate's mother. The other woman is busy tending to flowers, completely oblivious to the fact that the brunette is standing behind her, which makes Kahlan feel all the more out of place. "Ms. Pyro," she speaks softly.

The light-haired woman, seemingly at peace kneeling before the flowerbed, looks over her shoulder. "Kahlan?" she smiles wide. "Oh, Kahlan, hi," she quickly wipes soil on the apron adorning her waist. "Looking to ride Cara, I take it?"

Kahlan blushes a deep crimson red, images of Cara riding her — and her riding Cara — assaulting her mind. "Ex-Excuse me?" she stutters.

"To school," Ms. Pyro squints against the sun. Her sunhat clearly isn't working. "Cara's car... She calls it 'Cara' now," a deep sigh escapes the light-haired woman's lips. "I know, I know...I told her a girl naming her car is simply unheard of... That she should be more creative if she was going to do something so silly. But you know Cara," Ms. Pyro shrugs, turning away to once again dig into some soil. "Anyway... What I meant before... I remember she used to have some friends stop by in the mornings. Some didn't have cars of their own, you see... Wouldn't be caught dead riding a school bus. Others just wanted to spend more time with Cara."

Kahlan narrows her eyes.

Ms. Pyro continues. "I figured that's why you were here."

"Um... No, mam. " Kahlan answers shyly. "I just need to speak with her."

"I see," Ms. Pyro looks back to her work, gloved hands flexing. "I was just planting some flowers... But it's already so hot...and in March."

Kahlan looks toward the door. She doesn't mean to ignore Ms. Pyro, for her eagerness to see Cara to shine through, but...

"Strange," the light-haired woman continues. "The mornings are usually so cool." She assesses Kahlan's wardrobe, seeing the black cloak which allows partial view of her thigh. "Aren't you hot in that?"

Kahlan's attention is brought back to the matter at hand. "I'm used to it," she says, dragging a hand along the dark clothing.

"Well..." Ms. Pyro turns back to the soil. "I'll let you get to Cara then... These flowers aren't going to plant themselves."

"Let me help you," Kahlan kneels, tucking hair behind her ears.

"Oh, that's not necessary. No need to dirty yourself, child."

Kahlan smirks. Having someone refer to her as 'child', when she's actually the older one, always manages to alarm her._ God_,_ Cara must view me as disgustingly old._"I want to," she tries to rid that thought from her mind, kneeling beside the other woman. "I can always discard the cloak later," she smiles brightly. "And, truth be told...I'm quite fond of flowers."

"You are?" Ms. Pyro beams Kahlan's way, spreading some seeds absentmindedly.

"Very much." Kahlan notices how much "the older woman" resembles Cara. "Collecting them, for as long as they'll last anyway, is something I would even consider a hobby, Ms. Pyro. Particularly regarding roses."

"Call me, Dainera."

Kahlan's eyebrows arch in surprise. And before she can answer, footsteps are heard behind them.

"Kahlan," a sultry voice filters through the air.

The two turn to see Cara, a bag of groceries in her arms. "What are you doing here?" she questions.

At those words, and staring into those emerald eyes, Kahlan can see the real reason the Mord-Sith asked her here. It's not to talk. Not to go over future missions. No...there is only one thing on the Flamer's mind these days — sex. Pure, unadulterated sex with Kahlan. And it's sex the blond never delivers on.

Kahlan silently curses to herself. _How could I have been so stupid as to think she wanted anything else?_

Unless...

Could that be the reason I showed up here — hoping for the consummation of our bond? That she truly does want me?

Kahlan stands, staring the blond down._ Of all the days to be able to read Cara — a Mord-Sith — __why today? _she arches an eyebrow. "You asked me here, remember?" the brunette replies calmly.

"I didn't think you'd show up." Cara shifts the bag in her arms, never taking her eyes away from Kahlan. "Ma... I got you that milk you've been asking for since yesterday."

"Cara, I thought you were inside, honey," Ms. Pyro dusts off her hands. "I was just telling Kahlan she should head on in, but then...she offered to help. And..." Her eyes avert to the flowers, and she smiles warmly. "Did you know she loves roses?"

"Kahlan and I are going to talk now, ma." Cara finally looks away from the brunette, moving toward the door. "Right, Kahlan?"

Kahlan's eyes flicker. "Your mother needs my assistance."

Ms. Pyro stands, wiping some dirt on her apron. "It's okay, Kahlan. I can handle planting a few flowerbeds... Been doing it for years." She looks up to the girls with a large smile. "You two should talk if you're going to do so. School'll be starting soon." Her eyebrows suddenly furrow, as she notices the two women just standing there...staring at each other.

"We're going," Cara moves to Kahlan, pulling her by the arm and into the house.

Ms. Pyro watches in confusion as the door slams after them. "Must be boy trouble," she mumbles, turning back to her flowers.

IIII

Cara closes the door to her room, Kahlan moving swiftly to the window on the other side. As she does, her cloak flows majestically, seeming to unbutton itself. "I didn't know you were so good at putting up groceries," she smiles. "Of course...it did only consist of you putting the bag on the counter."

"Ha, ha," Cara responds sarcastically. "What did you think you were doing out there?" She regards Kahlan's wardrobe — the little black shorts, tight shirt, and knee-high boots — only briefly.

Kahlan upturns her nose. "Talking with your mother. What did it look like I was doing?"

"Stop with the pretenses!" Cara growls, pacing from side to side and maintaining her distance. "You were bonding with her!" Cara's pacing increases. "I don't want you bonding with my mother!"

Kahlan's gaze challenges, "And why not?"

"Because I don't want her taking too much of a liking to you... In case she ever finds about 'us'."

"Too late," Kahlan scoffs, looking out the window. She sits there contemplating on the window ledge before turning back to the other woman. "And there is no 'us.' ...You are going to get enough of thinking you can pull me every which-a-way any time you dare so please," her expression threatens, blue eyes flashing.

"Do you expect me to apologize for what I did to you in that bathroom last week?" Cara changes the subject, going right to the heart of the problem. "Because I won't!" She rakes a hand through her brilliant, long hair. "I needed to know things."

Kahlan is momentarily spell-bound by Cara's long locks. For some reason, she keeps picturing the other woman with shorter hair — shoulder length — and it's becoming increasingly odd to see that it trails halfway down her back instead. "You could have asked those things without pushing up against me... Without teasing me! You know damn well that I desire you," her voice falters. "And yet you -"

"- I was serious!" Cara stops pacing, eyes blazing into Kahlan's. "I fully intended to partially f**k you right there."

Kahlan laughs loudly...bitterly. She crosses her arms, and then blankly asks, "Partially f**k?"

Cara points a finger. "I told you I wanted a sample. To help me make my choice."

Kahlan's jaw sets firm. She looks out the window again.

Cara continues, "I also told you...you sound quite ridiculous when you say the word 'f**k'."

Kahlan chuckles, a multitude of expressions crossing over her face before she turns back to the blond. "Okay... If we're not here so that you can apologize, then why are we here?"

Cara's eyes soften at that. "Because... You're not making this easy for me, Kahlan. I need you." She moves to the bed post, clinging to it. "Every time I'm around you, it feels like my skin is on fire. Like I need release."

"So sex is why we're here?" Kahlan arches a delicate eyebrow. "Why am I not surprised?"

Cara ignores that, rubbing her palms together anxiously. "It can't just be 'the pull,' because we lost that, at least partially." She bites on her bottom lip. "And now everything seems more 'organic.' More connected," her eyes rake over Kahlan's exposed thighs. "I'm not stupid... I know you think I'm some horny 14-year-old boy who only thinks about sex," she looks up at the other woman. "I also know you're insecure about your age, and think I'm turned off by it."

Kahlan's eyes widen.

"But it's not true," Cara pushes off the bed post.

Her fists light up with a deep burn, a coping mechanism she has discovered that helps to center her...calm her. "I think about you in so many different ways, Kahlan. Not just sexual."

"Cara, I - "

"I don't even know your 'true age,' the blond presses on, "so you're just 18 to me... Like your biology says." She takes a step closer. "I'm tired of you putting distance between us, ignoring me any time things become awkward... You're trying to give me my space, I get that, but it only makes things worse." She takes another step closer. "I'm not trying to screw with you, Kahlan." A predatory smirk graces her lips, her form sauntering just a little closer. "Yes, I want to 'screw you'... But not 'screw with you,' if you know what I mean."

"Cara..."

"It's just... There are some days I want to bed you, and other days I'm not so sure... That's why I acted the way I did in that grocery store last week... I just need to be sure." Her fists deepen in tone. "I try to fight it, I do. But that's because the idea of women having sex with women still confuses the f**k out of me... I think I know the dynamics and then I don't. I don't want to hurt my ma, and then I lust after you." Cara squeezes down on her palms, letting the pain overtake her. "But you're always so damn mysterious, and it makes me want to know more about you," her eyes plead with the brunette's. "So much more."

In that moment, Kahlan almost feels that Cara truly does want to be with her. Wants to be pulled into her world. But then she remembers it all — the contradictory actions, the embarrassing rejection after rejection — and her expression turns cold. Offering Cara her most patronizing stare, her voice lowers. "You may be ready for sex, Cara. But you are not ready for sex with a woman."

"The hell I am!" Cara fires back, nostrils flaring.

Kahlan crosses her legs, one eyebrow arching. "Then why run away? Surely, you must have known that I was quite ready to give myself to you. And if you were intending physical intimacy this morning, why have us meet on a Monday instead of this past Sunday...with barely any time to do anything?"

"I wasn't -"

"Yes, you were." Kahlan stands fully. "Stalling today, just like you stalled in that bathroom, where you could have had me."

Cara suddenly looks like a scolded child.

Kahlan again looks out the window, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "But I'm glad you did," she looks back at the blond. "What you told me then - how you hate yourself for wanting me. How you wouldn't be sure you'd be making the right choice by being with me, unless you bedded me there like some common whore..."

"I wasn't..." Cara lets the words die off, not sure she can object to that last statement.

Kahlan hugs herself. "It quickly sank in more than ever that you aren't ready."

Cara starts to speak again; Kahlan holds up a finger as if to silence her.

"What if I had given you 'a sample,' and you'd regretted it? You would hate me right now," she hugs herself closer. "Meanwhile, I'd be the one cherishing it, feeling used... And that's just not fair to me."

"Kahlan..." Cara steps forward, the two now only a few feet apart. "Doesn't it mean something that I actually want to bed you? That Bobby has yet to interest me in the same way?"

Kahlan's jaw clinches. "It does..." Her gaze falters to the floor before meeting back up with Cara's. "But until you can accept the gravity of it, all that comes with it...it's irrelevant..." Her chin rises. "I will not be f**king you, Cara Mason, partially or otherwise. Not until you know exactly what it is you want."

Cara grits her teeth. _I do want you... I just_... "I thought you said you'd be my 'dirty little secret' any time!"

"That was then," Kahlan's eyes sparkle...distant and disassociated.

_Sh*t._ Cara recognizes that look. Any moment now, Kahlan will vanish. "Wait... Maybe a kiss then," Cara rushes toward her.

"No," Kahlan's lips press provocatively...and then she is gone, Cara stumbling into the spot a second later.

"Damn it!" Cara slams a fist into the wall.

She knew. Knew beforehand that Kahlan wouldn't be jumping on the opportunity for sexual release... Not if it means being a 'test drive.' The brunette had told her before, back when all this first started:"_You called me an experiment,"_ Kahlan had said_,_ looking off into the night sky_. "And I don't like to feel used - like a toy to anyone...__ When you said that, I realized we would only be friends... Because 'friends with benefits' with you, Cara, just won't do...not when you regard me as something to be ashamed of."_

Cara sighs into the wall.

IIII

Later, at D'Hara High, Kahlan averts her eyes from the tall, muscle-bound woman standing before her. "I'm sorry," she says.

They stand in an empty bathroom, the bathroom they usually use to engage in makeout sessions. Big Bertha frowns, putting on her baseball cap. "I can't believe you're doing this."

"I have to," Kahlan speaks solemnly.

"No, you don't! We had a good thing going." She gestures toward her tank top-clad chest. "The way your hands would caress my body. The way you would look into my soul," her gaze settles on Kahlan. "You said you'd never experienced anything like it."

Kahlan looks into the mirror, wondering what kind of person she has become that she would break a young woman's heart this way.

Big Bertha moves to Kahlan, grabbing her by the arms. "You said it may be possible to love me one day."

Kahlan meets the other woman's glistening brown eyes. She hadn't thought of Bertha as "a cryer," and seeing that she is makes it all the worse. "I did," she answers calmly.

"Then what changed?" Bertha attacks Kahlan's neck with her tongue. "Is it sex?" she roughly kisses there. 'Because I told you I'm ready. All you have to do is say the word."

"No, it's not that," Kahlan slowly pushes the bigger woman back, Bertha's face contorting into confusion.

"Then what is it?"

Kahlan backs away with a regretful sigh. "I'm interested in someone else," she turns to leave, placing hands into her coat pockets. "Always have been," she exits.

IIII

Cara rolls her eyes in a busy hall as Blondes talks incessantly into her ear. She's busy looking through her locker for utensils, and Blondes, for some reason, has decided that it's okay to talk out in the open about demons and whatnot. "You can't seriously be discussing this here and now," she hisses.

"I most certainly am," Blondes holds his holographic watch to his face. "You wouldn't come to the playground so that we could properly research it, and I must say this symbol associated with you and Kahlan — the snake with two skulls — is most alarming."

"Why is it 'most alarming'," Cara pulls out a few electronic textbooks provided to her by the school, noticing that Blondes has actually projected a holographic screen up in front of them.

"Oh, don't worry about that," he shrugs. "No one can see it but us. I glazed it with a special lense dust... Magical blend," he smiles proudly, completely ignoring the passing students directing odd looks their way.

Cara figures the students would just reason the screen as an advanced textbook anyway. With all the technology they have these days, she isn't even sure why she was so surprised to see such a screen when she first met Blondes. _Likely because he was a creepy little boy talking about zombies and sh*t_, Cara smirks.

Cara also figures that the kids casting odd looks their way are just alarmed to see a 30-something "man" chatting her up in the hallway, even if presumably a teacher. She makes a "yeah, whatever" face at the Youngster.

"The symbol is 'most alarming'," Blondes continues, "because things associated with snakes have often represented doom, in ancient times at least."

Cara smirks. "Ancient times? That still holds true today."

"My point is," Blondes uses a hand to straighten his scientist coat, "While serpents have been known to represent positivity, they have also been known to represent negativity. Factor that in with the negative implication of skulls, and I'm telling you...this symbol does not bode well for you or Kahlan."

Cara pauses long enough to spot the concerned look on Blondes's face. "You're really worried."

"I'd hoped it was positive," he ignores the question, "something like Mucalinda, the king of snakes who shielded the Buddha from the elements as the Buddha sat in meditation. But... "His eyes narrow, "the snake and skulls, they cancel each other out."

Cara leans back, expectant of whatever else the Youngster has to say.

Blondes drags a finger across the holographic screen, bringing up all sorts of ancient and modern-day serpent imagery, mythical and not-so-mythical — pictures of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden...Angkor in Cambodia showing various stone sculptures of multi-hooded n[]gas as guardians of temples...people at rock concerts wearing T-Shirts of serpent mascots...

"I knew snakes were popular, but this..." Cara gives her full attention to the screen. "How about," she puts some folders under one arm, dragging a finger across the screen with the other, "we go back to the 'most alarming' symbol."

Blondes slicks his hair back with his comb, watching Cara go to work on the images.

"Money for food," an overlapping voice suddenly filters through the air.

They turn to view a pale-faced, innocent-looking couple approach. "Money for food?" they repeat in unison, hands held out.

Cara turns to the two, puzzlement clouding her features. One's an average-looking brunette; the other an average-looking brown-haired man.

Blondes looks the teens up and down.

"Um, here," Cara reaches into her back pocket, pulling out a ten-dollar bill. "Don't spend it all in one place."

The boy and girl grin simultaneously, moving back with a bow of their heads and then retreat down the hallway...slowly.

"What in the world..." Blondes watches the two leave, fumbling to put the comb back into his pocket. "Do people normally beg for money at this school?"

"I can't say that they do," Cara turns back to the screen. "They were probably just being funny. A lot of juniors and seniors have been playing jokes on each other lately. The more popular you are, the bigger of a target."

"Peculiar joke," Blondes is still focused on the retreating backs.

"That may be," Cara shrugs, "But we have more important matters to attend to, remember?" She uses her free hand to turn Blondes back around. "See this here." She points to the two square box-like markings above the skulls. "They look like graves to me."

"How can you possibly see that? I could have sworn they're cradles"

Honestly, Cara isn't sure how she knows they're graves. She just does. "Get serious, Blondes," she shoves two notebooks into her locker. "Are Kahlan and I supposed to be babies now?"

Blondes gives an indignant lift of his chin. "No need to be sarcastic. The objects are quite difficult to place," he rubs a hand along his white jacket. "They could be cardboard boxes for all we know."

Cara gives a cynical look. Blondes presses forward anyway. "However you managed to identify them as graves," he says, "I think you may be right... Earlier, when taking on your case, I came across something called the Anataling Burial Ground. I didn't think much of it then, figured it was just one of the many burial grounds King Zombie must have attended during his lifetime. But now...with the skulls and what you describe as graves...I think there may be a connection."

Another voice suddenly breaks through their contemplation, "Hi, Cara." The tone is cheery...vibrant.

To say that Cara is surprised to see Tanya Livingston standing before them is an understatement. In all the years Cara has known the red-head (three years, to be exact), she's never approached her with such wide-eyed enthusiasm. Not even when she'd asked Kahlan and her to the slumber party.

Blondes, recognizing the girl as the eiterlon they'd fought just last week — host or otherwise — moves in front of Cara in a protective stance. Though the red-headed beauty is no longer being controlled by the beast, and the beast was banished back to the Underworld, Blondes has always stressed maintaining suspicion of past enemies. "What do you want?" he questions with a frown.

"I don't know," Tanya cocks her head playfully. "What do you want, old man?" her voice belies her humor.

Cara lightly shoves Blondes aside, eyes communicating her intent. "I understand, Mr. Blondes," she winks his way. "I'll make sure to get that homework in to you later today."

Blondes continues to frown at Tanya, seemingly unwilling to drop her from his gaze for even a second, but eventually decides to play along. "Make sure that you do, Ms. Pyro." He slowly backs away, steadily watching the girl as he does.

When he is a good distance away, Tanya looks back to Cara with a giggle. "Strange teacher."

Cara sighs. "What do you want, Tanya?" She slams her locker door and looks at the red-head expectantly.

If there's one thing Cara hates, besides bimbos and lowlifes, it's bimbos making small talk with her. Especially bimbos who hate her.

Tanya takes this time to ponder her answer, hugging regular textbooks close to her chest. For three years, she has had a crush on the blond. Her meticulous use of gay jokes have never simply been about teasing Cara, but rather to draw out any homosexual tendencies that may lie dormant in the other woman. The way Cara has reacted each and every time — with immense distaste, disgust, and hatred for such an orientation — has only given Tanya more incentive to continue them. From what little she has learned of homophobia, sometimes the biggest 'homophobics' are homosexual themselves.

Tanya smiles wide at this, giving Cara the once-over and admiring the loose-fitting shirt adorning the blond's torso, how it fits snugly into the viscose-designer skirt. _Just when has Cara started to favor skirts?_

Tanya loves boys, she does, but she's always had "just a small thing" for women — specifically the drop-dead gorgeous blond standing before her. Teasing Cara with threats of assuming the title of "Queen B" had of course been a ploy too. A ploy to make things "more intense" and "volatile." Because, to Tanya, love-hate relationships are the best. They are certainly the most passionate.

So imagine her surprise, when finding out from her parents (after being grounded for god knows how long), that Kahlan Amnell had looked after her at the advisement of a classmate — "Cara Pyro," they'd said. Apparently, following the slumber party, when everyone else couldn't care less whether she lived or died, Cara had seen to it that she was looked after. Suffice it to say, this was all the confirmation Tanya had needed to validate Cara's love for her.

"I..." she smiles brightly, "heard that you're trying out for outdoor track today...after school."

"Tomorrow," Cara leans back against the locker. "But what's it to you?"

Tanya suddenly appears panicked, which is strange because she's never panicked. "I hear it's going to rain today." She shrugs uncomfortably. "Later."

Cara just about laughs. _What is this? Since when does Tanya ever make idle chat with her competition? And why does she look so nervous?_

Cara watches a few people eye them strangely before focusing her attention back to the woman. Confusingly, she feels drawn to this 'new Tanya,' who seems freer, more vibrant... _More attractive_, Cara's eyes drag along the length of Tanya's body, appreciating the white shirt exposing ample cleavage, the tiny shorts exposing partial buttocks, and the bright blue open-toe sandals showcasing the prettiest feet Cara has ever seen. _Am I...seriously checking Tanya out?_

Tanya bristles uncomfortably. _Is Cara seriously checking me out? _She blushes a deep crimson. "Listen, Cara...the real reason I'm here is to thank you. You know, after everyone trashed my place and apparently left me stewing in my own pile of puke?... I heard how you had Kahlan look after me, which was surprising to the say the least... Something about having had to leave but wanting to make sure I was all right."

Cara arches both eyebrows. _What? Is that the story Kahlan came up with?_

_Sh*t. _

"I..." She leans off the locker.

"And I wanted to say it was really sweet," she touches a hand to Cara's arm, leaning in. "And thank you." Her fingers play delicately there. "I know how hard it must have been to have concerned yourself with the welfare of one of your biggest rivals," she teases.

Cara inclines her head to Tanya's prodding fingers for a brief moment, her eyes flashing up menacingly in the next. "What are you doing?"

"Saying thank you," Tanya leans in...close enough to lay claim to the blond's lips if she wants to... But she decides against it.

Cara's gaze drops from Tanya's amazing green eyes to linger on her lips in turn. _Perhaps...I could... With Tanya? ... And then I'd be ready for Kahlan?..._ Her pulse speeds up in ways still she can't understand. _No...you hate this bitch. _

"You'd better back up now, Tanya," Cara challenges.

Tanya smiles provocatively. "Why?"

Cara's pupils dilate with something Tanya can't identify, but it scares her. She backs up swiftly, schooling her features back into her calculated "bitch here" expression. "Later," she giggles, walking away smoothly as the bell rings.

Cara, in the now empty hall, watches the sway of those hips...hating herself for it all the while.

IIII

"Tanya was being extra nice to you, you say?" asks Gicko an hour later, walking alongside Cara down a crowded corridor.

"Something like that," Cara bites on the inside of her cheek, clearly disturbed.

A chipper voice suddenly beams through, "What's going on, buddies?" Hyper jumps from behind a plump fellow to move on the other side of Cara. "I had the greatest morning."

"Please don't," Gicko rolls his eyes.

"Amber and I," she pretends not to have heard him, "enjoyed a romantic breakfast just before sunrise." Hyper breathes in deeply, a blinding smile gracing her features. "I don't think I've ever been so happy."

"I said 'don't'," Gicko frowns. _Weren't you just into Cara not that long ago? _he wants to voice.

Hyper frowns back, looking across Cara. "You're just jealous because you don't have a love to have sunrise breakfasts with."

"Yeah, well," Gicko sneers, "if I'd known feeding you made you this ecstatic, I'd taken you to the chicken buffet a mile down the street."

"Why you..." Hyper points an angry finger at him.

"Enough, you two," Cara's arms extend outward pushing both farther away from her. "You can be such children sometimes."

"Hyper is a child. The only one of us who hasn't turned 18," Gicko fires back.

"I'll be 18 soon enough. And I most certainly am not a child," she pushes the glasses back up on her face in a huff. "With boobs like these," her hands caress her half-exposed bosom, "exactly how am I a child?"

Gicko's eyes linger there. "Point well taken."

Hyper nods triumphantly.

Cara just shakes her head. "You two are ridiculous," she says, placing two fingers to her temples.

"Okay, Cara, then what about you?" Hyper playfully nudges her. "How are you doing in the love department? You and Kahlan showing any 'progress' yet?" she grins wide.

"I don't believe in love. Not the romantic kind, " Cara massages her temples.

"That's true," Gicko becomes distracted by a few attractive girls conversing by the lockers.

"And we already know that," Hyper practically skips. "But 'love life' can simply mean 'sex life'...or some other variation of an emotional connection."

Cara looks indifferent.

"I hear Bobby's coming home tomorrow," Hyper adds. "No doubt he'll have missed you."

"That loser," Gicko smacks his teeth. "Where's he been anyway? Going out of town like he has important business or something."

Cara jams her hands into her pockets, giving them a new preoccupation. "We should focus on work. The zombie kind." She moves ahead. "C'omn... Blondes wants to meet us on the playground for a few minutes. Something to do with the image Hyper spotted on Saturday."

"But shouldn't we contact Asher?" Gicko jogs to catch up.

"And shouldn't I go find Amber?" Hyper catches up as well.

Cara doesn't even look at them. "You can do what you want, but we've already wasted enough time. The others can be informed later if it's important enough," she continues ahead.

Gicko and Hyper stop to look at each other, then move ahead as well.

IIII

"The Anataling Burial Ground?" Hyper pulls her knees to her chest on the bench beside Gicko.

Cara stands stoic beside Blondes.

"Yes..." the Youngster drags a hand across the screen, bringing up different images of tanned scrolls. "According to these texts, it was hidden away...here in Firesridge. When the decision was made to reincarnate the Mother Confessor and Mord-Sith, some of the circle objected to this paring choice...and selected alternates to stand in their place. For this, they created the Anataling Burial Ground. With the sacrifice of two, thick and deep in its soil, the 'rightful two' shall emerge in exchange."

Cara's expression changes to one of concern. Gicko and Hyper look from each other and back.

"Sometimes I forget that the zombies existed long before the flaming ridge that split D'Hara," Hyper turns back to Blondes. "That because it didn't end with the ridge -"

" - The people had to come up with ways to stop their future reign," Gicko takes over. "They existed alright... Before D'Hara was even 'D'Hara.' By the time the Seeker and Mother Confessor were traveling the lands, their numbers had significantly decreased and they were damn near extinction. But prophets saw that they would rise again, and in stronger numbers."

"You both remember the research fairly well, I see," Blondes clears his throat. "You must also keep in mind that Earth is billions of years old, and so the timeline back then is not the same as ours today. When we say 'the flaming ridge of 880,' we don't mean our 880. We have yet to discover much about that flame...only that it separated the monsters from the humans and was lethal enough to reach and destroy zombies from a distance. Once the flame burned out, as Gicko says, the zombie race was nearly extinct... It was because of these same prophets who foresaw the ridge being the key to the creatures' downfall, that we are here today. For reasons not entirely clear, two legendary heroes were to be chosen for the zombie infestation that would plague modern-day D'Hara - Firesridge. Others may have objected to the choice, but because the decision had already been made to reawaken 'the destined two' - Cara and Kahlan - any other selection would be in direct conflict with that choice." He drags a finger in a zig zag motion, and the maze-like symbol with the snake and skulls appear. "You see, whether or not 'the rightful two' were to emerge at that time or at a much later date, it would not stop what was already set in motion."

"Cara and Kahlan's reincarnation," Gicko interjects.

"Exactly," confirms Blondes. "This would mean four beings would exist in a world where only two should."

"And thus Armageddon?" Cara folds her arms across her chest.

"Precisely," Blondes takes out a comb. "The pairings would cancel each other out," he slicks back his hair. "Either the new pairing would need to be terminated. Or both would be taken away by the power, therefore eliminating Cara as the Flamer and exposing Firesridge to the whims of King Zombie." He places the comb back into his jacket pocket. "As you know, Firesridge is Cara's power center. But without any trace of Cara Mason having existed in this time period, that power center would cease to exist... And any new Flamer would be significantly weakened here as well."

Cara grinds her teeth.

Hyper looks to the ground. "But I thought Firesridge was used as a power center by Flamers for ages now."

"It was," Blondes nods. "It was also specifically designed for Cara at this exact time in history. The conflict of the four existing at the same time will alter what was determined back then, tampering with fate and taking away the power...along with the individuals."

"Wait, wait, wait," Gicko waves his hands about. "You mean whichever pairing were to emerge second...that pairing would be looking to terminate the original pairing? That there may be a second pairing out there right now looking to kill Cara and Kahlan?"

"Quite possibly, to answer your first question," Blondes closes the holographic screen. "As to your second...if King Zombie has learned of this, that may very well be the case."

"Then we have to stop it!" Hyper jumps to her feet.

"How?" Gicko shrugs. "If the second pairing is already out there, it means Cara and Kahlan will need to kill them." Conflict arises in his features. "But what if they're good people too, just Flamer and anchor out to do their job? Surely, they'd know killing Cara and Kahlan would also destroy any chance of their own survival." Gicko's eyebrows furrow deeply. "They would be destroyed too, right, Blondes? You spoke of Cara and Kahlan killing them to maintain balance. But would their killing Cara and Kahlan also maintain balance?"

Blondes cringes at that. "I don't know for sure," he rubs at his face. "The texts speak of what the Confessor and Mord-Sith must do. But I believe so. It doesn't make much sense to have alternates who will die if they do not take action." He lets moments tick on before relaying his next words: "The couple - pairing, mind you - may not even be human at all... From what I have seen, all images document the two as serpents. Bringers of doom. And I have concluded that they are meant to disrupt -"

" - So what...we need to be on the lookout for two big snakes?" Gicko launches to his feet as well.

"No," Cara shakes her head, focused on the ground. "The serpent talk... It could simply be a figure of speech. Another way of describing evil people. The word has been used in a derogatory fashion for centuries."

"Good point," Hyper moves beside her. "How many times have we heard people referred to as a snake?"

"I've called Bobby that enough times," Gicko laments.

"That's not all..." Blondes frowns. "As I was going to state before Gicko's enthusiastic interruption, the text speaks of disrupting the Flamer and anchor's union... Disruption by 'the rightful two'... From what I can make of the lost language, the second pairing are not as destined for each other as they would seem...but rather 'destined' for their opponents."

"Are you saying..." Cara moves closer to the Youngster.

"I'm saying...one of the two is meant to pair with you, Cara," Blondes begins. "And the other is meant to pair with Kahlan."

"Son of a bitch!" Gicko rakes hands through his hair.

Hyper covers her mouth in shock.

Blondes tries to ignore the tempered reactions, keeping his gaze fixated on Cara, who pins him with an angry glare. "After that, Cara, it goes without saying that one of the pairings would need be disposed of. This likely answers Gicko's question - whether or not the alternates would be looking to kill you. I believe they could either kill you both and choose each other...or successfully pair with one of you and kill the opposing team..." Blondes allows a slight pause ... "Whatever the case, their primary goal would most assuredly lie with disrupting your union," he looks off into a window, eyes lost. "It's no wonder why the burial ground was kept hidden."

"Hidden?" Gicko screeches. "It should have been destroyed. Why didn't they destroy it?"

"Because only the ones who created it knew about it," Blondes turns to the worried face. "The only reason we know about it now is either due to prophets who accessed the past or technological advances that have enabled us with the viewing system - visuals. The betrayers kept this secret and cast a spell so that their choice could be implemented many years down the line, after the Mord-Sith's awakening... Near its predestined date."

"And when is this predestined date exactly?," Cara moves in even closer, gritting her teeth.

Blondes squirms. "It may have been this past Saturday," he answers sheepishly, "Or some other day."

"Damn it!" Cara grabs him by his scientist coat. "Why didn't you learn of this sooner? How is it that you can be so late on the most important matters?"

_Because I'm still learning? _Blondes means to say, but thinks better of it. He knows very well not to temper with a Mord-Sith — especially a Mord-Sith/Flamer — while standing vulnerable in their hands.

"Great," Gicko replies sarcastically. "King Zombie already has a step up on us. No way he didn't know about this."

"We don't know that necessarily," Blondes holds up a finger, despite Cara's wrangling of his attire.

Hyper shakes her head. "I need to inform Amber of this."

Cara pushes Blondes away from her. "And I need to tell Kahlan," she starts to walk off.

"Wait," Blondes calls after them. They briefly turn back to view the man-boy. "If it helps...this burial ground is said to be well-hidden."

"That won't matter if King Zombie has been 'predestined to find it', now will it?" Cara spits out bitterly, then continues on.

IIII

When night comes, the rain takes Cara by surprise. She'd almost forgotten about Tanya's little whether forecast.

Even so, she and the others — with the exception of Kahlan, who, for reasons unknown to them, has neglected to show up — trudge through the downpour and muddy terrain, visiting the most active zombie areas, as well as the most deserted, all in the hopes that they may locate Anataling Burial Ground. They know not what it looks like or if looking for it now is absolutely irrelevant, but the team believes Cara will be able to sense it if near, Amber having informed her of banshees who were once able to locate the graves of their enemies due to 'destiny ties.' The idea is: If Cara's destiny is significantly intertwined with the two subjects, then they may be able to sense one another. That apparently is what a 'destiny tie' is.

With the Tinta jewels, Cara, Gicko and Hyper's powers continue to enhance more quickly than they would without them. They have come upon a large infestation of zombies, dwelling (or waiting) between an area of trees and an open road. Cara flames a few who jump out at her from bushes in a clearing, brilliant swirls extending from the weapons at her fists — her flaming gloves. She uses the spikes she had Asher install there to stab into the throat of one and rip the head attached clean off in one fluid motion; it falls into a puddle of mud, bobbing there before relaxing into the grit. The smarter one of the bunch manages to claw at Cara's abdomen. She winces, but is able to take him out with a spin-kick to the face and a stab of fire to the chest; the flames eat their way to the heart, intent on doing the same to the creature's mind.

Amber pulls a pistol from one of the few gun holsters at her thighs. Titled "the Rattalang Gun," it extends a long whip that pierces through the heads of zombies faster than light; if this were a movie, the part of the battle sequence where things go into slow-motion would reveal a single bullet attached to the whip. Once the whip is finished with its attack, it retracts back into the pistol, ready to be fired again.

Cara thinks she has to get one of those.

Gicko thinks the same, lightning shooting from his eyes (a preferred move due to his adoration of comic book character Cyclops), jetting into the bodies of the living dead. Every now and then, he cocks his head to the side and the beams zig-zag in a way that decapitates the monsters.

Blondes and Asher generally battle back to back in slippery mud, Blondes expelling the usual yellow mist from his hands which substantially weakens every zombie he can center in on, Asher using the teleportation magic he borrowed from Kahlan to vanish and reappear as he calls forth vines to snap up and drag demons back against trees.

A few slow zombies (who obviously haven't gotten a chance to refresh for the night) bump into those trees, stuck and disoriented and squinting against the rain. Another wanders into the empty road nearby, distracted by the sound of traffic echoing far off. But one manages to descend upon Hyper, who is busy whacking the weakened creatures with an iron rod. As Gicko turns his eyes there to protect her, he is beaten to the act by Amber, who uses a rather normal-looking gun to blast the offender in the head. Gicko sneers.

Cara slams a fist into the ground, a ridge of fire leading from it to Hyper, encircling her friend in a ring of protection. Blondes aims his hands in that direction and casts a spell to shield the rising flames from the onslaught of rain. Hyper nods her understanding, taking this opportunity to sit and meditate. And within seconds, she uses those surrounding flames to spin into zombies...left, right, backward, front, and all around her companions.

The group fights like this, one location after the next. And when Blondes and Asher finally feel that it is best the gang face the fact that they may now be looking for two living beings instead of two graves, a collective expression of dread falls over the group.

"Maybe King Zombie wasn't predestined to find it after all," Hyper offers optimistically, wiping at the water steadily hitting her face.

IIII

Meanwhile, the peculiar teenage boy and girl Cara and Blondes met back at the school attack a store clerk in an otherwise empty convenient store.

"Why are you doing this?" the man in his late 40s asks, horrified and trembling. "I said you could take the money!" he looks to the scattered bills adorning the counter where he lay straddled by the grinning boy.

The grinning boy, pale eyes and even paler skin, uses a knife to slash at the clerk's already bloody face. "Because 'money for food' isn't enough anymore." He jumps off the counter, leaving the man to sit up to an even more horrifying vision: The girl from before... She's not a simple girl anymore.

"He's all yours," says the boy.

The man screeches as a quick flash of abnormality smashes right into him.

**ACT 2**

Cara punches her bedroom wall, leaving a sizable dent next to the one from earlier. She is drenched in rain, hasn't even properly tended to the wound at her abdomen, aside from quick alcohol thrown on it, and she's angry. Angry and exhausted.

She's just glad her mother isn't home to witness her constant blows to the wall. Frustrated by the fact that she can never seem to take a break from this Flamer life, these duties that are always right around the corner, she takes it out on the solid object in front of her. Nothing is ever just a "simple teenage life" anymore. Not that she ever had a simple teenage life.

Cara knows she has responsibilities. Knows what she was getting herself into by taking on this job (and it is a job), but she had thought she would still have some freedom. Never once did she think her days would be filled with planning deaths, lessons on bedding women (one woman in particular), and piles upon piles of sexual confusion. Not to mention the stress of the school work, and whatever else.

And now she has to worry about hunting down some would-be assassins. "Screw Blondes!" she hits the wall again. "And screw Kahlan too!... She should have been out there tonight! Fighting and defending, or whatever the f**k it is anchors do!"

Cara's fists glow bright red, the water dripping from them hitting the floor like lava. "I tell her impostors of some kind may rise to kill us, and she doesn't even show the f**k up?"

Just as Cara moves near the window to slam yet another fist into the wall, she halts, eyes going wide.

Below, stands Kahlan. In her front yard, looking up at her with those amazingly penetrating eyes. Rain pouring over dark strands of hair and pale skinned protected in dark clothing, she appears... _What is that expression?__ Pain? _

Cara can't be sure. She's not even sure how she automatically recognized the figure below her as Kahlan. The image had originally appeared as a blur, but Cara's gaze had somehow looked past that to immediately identify the true picture.

Before she can ponder this further, the brunette is in her room...behind her.

"I hate the rain."

Cara spins around to see Kahlan just standing there. Her face is contorted, streams of water unrelated to rain running from her eyes, and Cara can't believe she ever doubted it was a pained expression. "I hate the rain," the words are expressed again.

"Kahlan, what are -"

"They're going to get me," Kahlan starts to pace parallel to Cara, whispering and mumbling to herself. "Why are they doing this to me?" Her hands start wringing, tears steadily springing from her eyes. "I'm a good girl. A good girl. I didn't ask for this..." She starts swinging at the air. "Stop it!.. Stop pulling at me."

Cara, eyes wide, mouth open, just stares at the spectacle transpiring before her. _Is this...the same__ strong and vibrant Kahlan I've come to know? The one who was dangerous, alluring, and sexy all at the same time?_ _The one who evolved into lightheartedness at the most awkward of moments...but never lost that spark? _

Cara takes a step closer. She means to speak (she really does)...and then she doesn't. She's never seen anything like this (except for maybe in the movies). Kahlan is talking to herself, swinging at imaginary objects, gaze darting every which way as tears flow profusely. And to Cara, it's as though the other woman's soul is being pulled inside out. She can practically see all the corresponding elements fragmenting.

"No!" Kahlan covers up her ears, "You can't do this to me!... I'm not some animal you can just..." She stops mid-pace, eyes downcast. "Noooo!"

Cara doesn't know what the hell this is, but she'll be damned if she's just going to stand here and do nothing. She marches to Kahlan in swift paces, snatching her by the arm. "Kahlan!"

The brunette moves to strike, but Cara grabs her other hand and holds it tightly in place, pulling her close in one fluid motion. "Kahlan, snap out of it." She tries to look the woman in the eyes. "It's me, Cara."

Kahlan spits, and Cara growls, tightening her grip on the hostile wench. "I said it's me, damn it!" She is finally able to meet the other woman's icy blue gaze.

It takes a while, but those eyes do soften, blinking back disorientation. "Cara?" a tear slides down her cheek.

"Yeah, it's me," the blond speaks in a low, soothing tone.

"Cara..." Kahlan's head falls onto the blond's shoulder, and sobs break away. "Cara..." she hugs the Mord-Sith close.

At first, Cara just stands there, unmoving, her mind trying to make sense of all this. But when she hears and feels the loud sobs wracking Kahlan's body, she wraps the woman tightly in her arms. She means to say "_Shh, I'm here_," which is no doubt the appropriate verbal response, but Cara has never been good at consoling people.

And yet...as they stand there, nothing has ever felt more right to the blond.

Sure, the circumstances are not ideal. And Cara finds it difficult to speak. But she realizes that the few times she has gotten to hug this woman (two, to be exact), it has always brought her peace. Troubling thoughts no longer plague her. Her wound no longer aches. And the water soaking her clothes no longer makes her feel cold. It's as though their bodies synchronize in ways that even technology would hope to imitate.

"I'm sorry, Cara," Kahlan speaks into the Mord-Sith's neck before disentangling herself to look into those sea-green eyes. "I should go," she makes a move backward.

"No," Cara moves with her in one stride. "It's late, and I want you to stay." She holds the brunette by the shoulders, giving her the once-over. "Just stay here," she backs up, hands up to signal her mate stay in place. The woman could vanish at any time. "I think I may have something for you," she rushes to the closet. "In here."

Kahlan stares blankly.

Cara swipes through the clothes hanging from the rack. "No, you need night clothes," she moves to the dresser beside her closet, digging through it. "These." A white, long-sleeved shirt is pulled from the top drawer. A black lace bra and stark-white panties follow.

"Don't worry," Cara says, swiftly approaching Kahlan. "They're brand new. I haven't even worn them." Her hand extends to Kahlan. "Towels are in the bathroom."

Kahlan continues to stare blankly...but slowly accepts the clothing.

"I probably should have gotten you boxers. Feeling too bare can be awkward, right?" Cara nervously scratches her head. "Maybe using my Flamer heat would have been better." She moves to the bed, back to Kahlan, as her fingers work at the buttons on her shirt and she clarifies, "You know how my Flamer power can warm others up?... Everyone except me apparently. Which...doesn't make sense when you think about it. I can feel the pain in my hands, and that one time my whole body lit fire." She looks over her shoulder to Kahlan, feeling that she may have babbled too much (something quite uncharacteristic of her). "The bathroom's over there," her head nods in the direction of the door on the left side of the dresser. "I imagine you want to change in private."

Kahlan still seems a bit 'out of it,' but manages to shuffle off toward the bathroom door.

Cara watches as she goes, quickly undressing to find some dry alternatives. She feels she should take a shower (maybe even a bath after the night she's had), but when she had been in such close proximity of Kahlan, it had seemed that the other woman hadn't minded. In fact, she could have sworn Kahlan had been... _sniffing me? _

Cara smiles, looking off toward the open bathroom door and seeing partial thigh...partial abs...partial breast, before quickly turning away.

_Kahlan isn't the reason I'm not showering right now. It's just that I'm tired. Very tired, and Kahlan needs someone. That's all.  
_

IIII

In the bathroom, Kahlan is in the process of pealing away the soaking wet bra when she thinks better of it...

_My tattoo_... _What if Cara sees it?_ She swiftly turns toward the door, holding the buttoned-down shirt to her chest. _Oh..._

She sees Cara paying her no mind.

Of course the blond wouldn't be watching her. Cara can talk about "being ready" until she's blue in the face, but when it actually comes to it...

Kahlan pauses, realizing that she's been watching Cara undress this whole time. Blushing and admonishing herself, she turns away swiftly, shutting the door as she does.

What am I doing?

She turns to the mirror with a sigh, images of Cara's bare back and ass staying with her. The same ass with her very name tattooed on it_. That's likely all I'll ever see of that body_. She drags a hand along her chest, eyes sparkling in the mirror.

"Idiot," she mumbles to herself. "Your tattoo is under your breast, not on it."

_Cara wouldn't have seen it anyway._

IIII

When Kahlan emerges from the bathroom, Cara is standing by it, in a tank top and boxer-briefs...and unreadable eyes. Those eyes rake over Kahlan's form, hidden by the large "work shirt," with the exception of those long, spectacular legs. Cara's heart nearly stops. _Oh god._

Kahlan shyly tucks a few strands of hair behind her ear under the scrutiny, still unsure why she has yet to leave... Or why's she acting like a schoolgirl with a crush.

"I'll take this side," Cara moves to the right side of the bed. "You take left."

Cara is aware that "left" could mean "right" depending on where they are facing, so she grabs the sheets for further indication.

Kahlan simply nods, her head lifting with an air of calm. But as she makes her way to her side of the mattress, she feels her defenses start to weaken, and wastes no time getting under the covers.

Cara watches the raven-haired beauty from her side of the bed, back turned to her hair, dark ringlets of hair splayed over the pillow. _Jesus_. Of all the times Cara has fantasized abut bedding the other woman, this is not what she had in mind.

And still...it somehow feels right.

Getting into her side of the bed, she moves close enough to her bed partner, reaching over her to access the desk lamp and shut the light off. The instant blackness of the room is overwhelming at first, but Cara's eyes start to adjust to the change soon enough and she lies back. The moonlight filtering in through the window also doesn't hurt matters.

But sobs are heard in the darkness, too. Quiet sobs... From Kahlan.

Cara knows she hears them. Knows Kahlan is trying to mask them. But the brunette isn't doing a very good job of it.

Taking in a deep, torturous breath, Cara puts her pride aside and snuggles up against Kahlan, wrapping her in protective arms. She feels Kahlan's body stiffen, then slowly start to relax.

Yes, somehow this is right. Cara doesn't need sex at the moment. And truth be told, may not even be ready for it. What she needs now...is for Kahlan to feel better.

"I wish we had our old memories... From our so-called past lives," she whispers into the brunette's ear. "At least that way, I'd know more about you."

There is silence.

"I know," comes the soft reply.

IIII

In the morning, Cara awakes with a start. She feel oddly well-rested, something she hasn't felt since childhood. _Maybe never. _And her nostrils fill with aromas she's quite unaccustomed to at this time of day. "Kahlan?" she reaches to her side to find the spot vacant.

Still on her belly, she turns to her side, where her eyes confirm the empty area. "Kahlan?" She quickly sits up against the headboard.

"Right here," Kahlan steps through the bedroom door carrying a large plate of food and one glass of orange juice, all the while still donning that over-sized white shirt.

Cara's eyes trail over those beautiful legs once again, as the brunette uses a foot to shut the door before moving to Cara.

"I brought you breakfast," she smiles, placing the plate down between them as she sits opposite Cara.

"I noticed," Cara smirks, gaze still checking Kahlan out. She's always imagined that "breakfast in bed" would take place after "the deed"...not before.

"And?"

"And..." Cara looks to the plate of bacon, sausage, eggs, cheese toasts, grits, and cinnamon sticks. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Kahlan laughs, taking an "Indian style" position on the bed while playfully holding the orange juice. "I thought I'd make use of the kitchen, while your mother is away."

"Yeah, those damn hours Burger Barn has her working are insane," Cara scoops a spoonful of grits into her mouth, then waves the spoon around. "She likely didn't get any rest last night...whenever she got in." Cara rips into some bacon.

Then the cheese toast.

Then the eggs.

Kahlan observes with humor. She doesn't know why it pleases her so to watch Cara devour her food like some ravenous creature, but it does. And when Cara holds her hand out for the juice, she barely stifles a giggle seeing the blond gulp the liquid down as well.

"What?" Cara licks at her orange-juice mustache, placing the empty cup on the desk to her side. "You want some?" She wipes the mustache completely away.

Kahlan shakes her head "no."

"You think I should have brushed my teeth, don't you?"

Kahlan chuckles. "No, that's not it." She briefly points a finger. "And if I remember correctly - back at the grocery store - you said your Flamer powers have enabled you with round-the-clock fresh breath."

"Still doesn't mean that I shouldn't -"

Cara is abruptly silenced by the press of a single finger to her lips. "I just wanted to say thank you...for last night," Kahlan utters in what has to be the most provocative tone Cara can remember.

Her heart beat speeds up. Mouth goes dry, even though she just drank moments ago.

Kahlan is looking at her lips. And Cara thinks maybe this is it — the moment she is permitted to taste Kahlan. The moment their bond ceases to be in name and platonic aspirations only. But then Kahlan looks off to the side, the lone finger retracting just as quickly as it landed.

By the blush tainting Kahlan's neck, Cara can only guess the brunette was thinking what she was thinking just seconds ago. "I don't know why you failed to meet the gang last night, or why you acted the way you did," Cara starts, sensing that this is likely not a subject the other woman wants to speak about. If Kahlan wants to tell her, then she will. "But...Kahlan," she says, pressing on, "last night... Getting to hold you. Getting to feel you... It was... I liked it," Cara purses her lips, watching Kahlan swallow hard. _I must sound like such a weak-ass._

"I'm sorry about last night, Cara," Kahlan's jaw clinches, her head still turned. "It was unfair to you."

"Don't be," Cara moves the plate to her side, reaching over to brush a strand of the brunette's hair away and silently wincing against the pain at her abdomen. "We're playing a dangerous game here, Kahlan."

The other woman leans into Cara's touch, but her eyes remain averted.

"You want me, then I refuse you... I want you, then you refuse me... I can feel the anger building."

"I'm not refusing you, Cara," Kahlan whispers, caught off-guard by the gentleness of Cara's palm on her cheek. She turns to meet the blond's hard, sea-green gaze. "I'm waiting."

"Until I'm ready?"

"Until you're ready," Kahlan nods. "If you can honestly say you're without a doubt ready here and now, then..."

Cara attempts to look to the bed, but as she does, her eyes catch between Kahlan's legs, the imprint of the other woman's sex quite prominent against white panties.

She gulps. She knows Kahlan is right. That there's more than one reason she isn't ready. And the only reason she thinks she is may lie with her raging hormones. Hormones that never acted this way around boys. And she never let herself feel them around girls (not long enough at least). There's also that peculiar bond she has with the brunette — "the pull" between Flamer and anchor. That pull, which had been taken away from them in part, now seems to be reemerging...stronger than ever.

"I understand why you don't trust me to be your mate, Kahlan," Cara finally looks up at the other woman. She isn't ready to announce to the world that she's into women, or — more specifically — into Kahlan. And she certainly isn't ready for hand-holding and all that sentimental crap Bobby already expects of her. "I can't even promise you this... Or love, or -"

Kahlan looks away, off to the side. "I've long ago accepted that I don't deserve love, Cara."

Cara scowls. "What do you mean you don't deserve love? I admit that I'm skeptical of it, except for when it comes to family and friends, but I don't see you as any less deserving!"

Kahlan doesn't move.

"Kahlan, look at me," Cara moves to spin her around, and winces aloud as she does.

Kahlan's eyebrows furrow into worry, "What's wrong with you?" She immediately looks Cara over.

"Nothing," Cara sits back, trying to remove her hand from her abdomen as slick as possible without Kahlan noticing.

But it's too late. Kahlan has noticed. And the red stain marking her tank top isn't helping matters. "Nothing, huh?" she lifts Cara's shirt in an instant. "Then what is this?"

Cara rolls her eyes, sitting back on her arms as Kahlan's finger gently drag over the wound. "Like I said it's nothing."

"You got this last night, didn't you?" her fingers dance softly over the flesh, making Cara quite uncomfortable. "I should have been there."

"It's not your problem," Cara grimaces. "It seems I don't heal as fast as I thought, at least not when the wounds are deep."

"Where is your medicine to attend to such wounds?"

"Medicine?" Cara arches a brow. "You mean stuff like alcohol and bandages?... There's something like that in the drawer behind me. Peroxide, I think." She nods to where the lamp and empty glass of orange juice sit."

Kahlan is up in an instant, yanking open the drawer.

Cara is about to wonder why the brunette didn't just teleport instead, when a feeling of dread suddenly strikes her."Wait!" She looks behind her_. Not the drawer!_

Just like before, it's too late again. Kahlan is already standing there...looking at the intimate drawings Cara drew of them 'together.' Cara had intended to put the portraits in a safer spot, somewhere her mom would never find them, but she had been so busy in the days following that she'd forgotten.

"Kahlan, I..."

Kahlan's face appears unreadable. She flips to one drawing in particular, the second largest of them all, turning to Cara with another unreadable look.

"I drew them after our kiss at the club," Cara says, looking up at the brunette and trying to decipher what that hard gaze means.

They stay staring at each other like that, until...

"Cara, baby! Your man is home!" a yell rips through the air...and seemingly throughout the whole house.

"Bobby!" Cara almost jumps out of bed. "He's back from a business trip. Something to do with his father or some crap like that." She moves to her feet and grabs a clean tank top from the other side of the room. "Get dressed before coming down," is all she says before changing into the spare shirt and moving down the stairs.

Kahlan's gaze stays fixated on the open door.

Her free hand balls into a fist.

IIII

Cara meets Bobby downstairs in the kitchen. "Hey, baby," he beams, arms spread wide in his business suit.

Cara moves to him with a half-smile; it's forced and awkward, and her hips sway to make up for the deception.

"God, I love your swagger," he says pulling her into a hug. "I've missed you, baby," he whispers into her ear.

Cara pulls back to look up at the handsome dark-haired man with amazing blue eyes. Eyes so much like Kahlan's...and so not. "I missed you too."

"Enough to kiss me?" He leans in, lightly touching his lips to hers.

Just then, the door behind them swings open, closing back by itself.

Cara swiftly breaks the kiss, turning around to see Kahlan standing behind her. Their eyes lock for a few agonizing moments, and then Kahlan looks away, jaw firm. She's still wearing the over-sized shirt, but now has on a pair of jeans to boot. Cara's jeans.

"What's she doing here?" Bobby frowns.

"Oh," Cara shrugs, looking back and forth between the two. "Mr. Tanner partnered us up for one of his math projects." She turns back to Bobby. "We wanted to get a head start before school."

Bobby arches a suspicious eyebrow, disengaging from Cara completely. "Half naked and barefoot?" He looks from Cara to Kahlan's apparently missing footwear.

Kahlan looks down, wiggling her toes.

"We're girls, asshole," Cara coaches her voice to a teasing manner. "You think I'd actually have Kahlan Amnell sleep over?" She catches Kahlan's gaze briefly. "We may have to work together, but I still hate the bitch."

Kahlan's eyes brighten at that, as though a fire stoked.

"Kahlan came over. I was in my 'jammies.' She took off her shoes. It's as simple as that." Cara briefly squeezes his hand. Obviously, the man's jealous tendencies have returned with him.

"Even letting her be comfortable doesn't seem to be your style," Bobby has a bitter taste in his mouth, and he doesn't like it.

Bobby and Kahlan appear to be in a staring match.

"Wasted energy." Cara shrugs, heating her palms to bring her calm, letting the pain center her. But it leaves her wound feeling even more naked. As she looks there, she sees fresh blood marking her 'new' tank top._ Sh*t._

"Listen," Cara points a finger to them both. "Seeing as Bobby likes me clothed no matter who I'm around, I'm off to please my boyfriend," she pats him on the shoulder. "No funny stuff while I'm gone."

The blond wastes no time moving up the stairs. Kahlan and Bobby don't seem to notice.

Bobby strides to Kahlan, glowering with a sneer. Kahlan wants to smirk.

"You think I don't see what you're doing?" he asks. "You've been trying to get close to her for weeks now... Checking her out on the first day. Warming up to her mother not long after..." He spits to the floor, moving closer. "You dykes are all the same."

Kahlan doesn't budge.

Bobby slams his hands together. "Just because that Bertha bitch isn't satisfying your carpet-m**ching needs doesn't give you the right to look here for a replacement!" He pulls back with disgust. "Keep your hands off my girl!"

As his steps take him backwards, his eyes appear to darken, "The only one experiencing that piece of ass will be me," he heads up the stairs after his toy as soon as possible. A spoiled child, nothing more.

Kahlan is tempted to watch him go, but she watches the wall in front of her instead...like an enemy she must destroy.

As her teeth grind in agitation, she debates whether or not she should leave open the possibility of the bastard finding her discarded clothing while he's up there.


	13. PART 2, END OF EPISODE 4

******Note: **The harshest curse words have been bleeped out (mainly the F-word), since this is the PG-13/TV-14 version. The uncensored version is at LiveJournal under the same title/same user name. This episode is **not necessarily shorter than the others**; it's just that I can conclude it with only two parts at this site, in contrast to LiveJournal where there is a size limit. And so I decided against artificially dividing it.

**ACT 3**

Cara stabs the sausage on her plate as she sits in the cafeteria beside Hyper. Hunger is the last thing on her mind, especially having already had a hefty breakfast by way of Kahlan's cooking.

She absentmindedly lets her free hand drag across her neck where the half-a-heart necklace rests. She and Kahlan had been wearing the companion pieces when they slept beside each other. But when Cara had gone downstairs to greet Bobby, they'd been missing.

_Kahlan must have teleported them, then returned them afterwards, _Cara bites on her bottom lip, in deep thought_: Bobby is pretty suspicious of us. So it must have been so that he wouldn't notice._

"And that's all you told him? Nothing else?" Hyper's voice brings Cara back to the present.

"And what should I have told him?" Cara whispers, rising to dump her tray in the garbage nearby. Hyper copies her actions. "That the person I truly want is not only my sworn enemy, but seemingly his? That I'd rather want a woman - this woman I feel inexplicably drawn to, sometimes because of a mystical bond; sometimes because she's just that hot - over him?"

"Yes!" Hyper exclaims, frowning. She drags her stubborn friend to a secluded corner of the cafeteria. "Cara, don't you want to be happy?"

Cara folds her arms across her chest, leaning against the wall. "Why should I believe one woman can make me happy?"

"Because she does," Hyper smiles knowingly, pushing the glasses back up on her amused face. "I could hear it...see it...in the way you described your time together."

"Whatever happened to the idea of making one's self happy?" Cara huffs.

Hyper pretends she didn't hear that. "And, Cara," she continues, "it was so romantic. The way you described holding her while she sobbed and just being there for her. The breakfast in bed, the picture-finding... I'm sure if you just explain why you kept your artistic ability a secret, that -"

"- You had better not tell anyone I told you this," Cara points a finger.

"I won't. But, Cara, you have to get over this whole 'gay isn't okay' business. It's seriously keeping you from love."

Cara starts to protest, but Hyper silences her with a look.

"And I know, I know. You don't believe in love. At least not the romantic kind. But just look at me and Amber. We're both women, and I'm not afraid to think that we're -"

"- You don't have the same type of status to worry about, now do you?" Cara stands straight, eyes challenging. "And your mom probably wouldn't even care that you're with a - "

"- Cara..."

"Are you and Amber even having sex?"

"No, but -"

"- Then how can you begin to speak to me about how easy it is to be in a same-sex relationship when you haven't even engaged in the very thing I'm worried about?"

"I didn't say it was easy." Hyper takes a step back, hands clenching at her sides. "And there's a lot more to a relationship than having sex. Maybe you wouldn't know that since it's all you and Bobby probably do."

"I do know that."

"What?" Hyper's eyebrows raise.

"Yeah, that's right, Hyper." Cara leans into her ear. "I'm a virgin. Just the same as you."

And with that, she stalks off, headed down the hall.

Hyper hurries to catch up with her. "The sex issue hasn't come up with Amber and me, because, well... I just like being in her company... And I wouldn't know what to do anyways."

"It's called sex research," Cara says exasperatedly. "Try it some time."

"It's called being with the one you want, opening yourself up to love... And, yes, I mean in the romantic sense." Hyper smiles triumphantly. "Try it sometime."

Cara rolls her eyes.

IIII

The two wind up on the playground, where Blondes and Asher are researching through various holographic screens. They don't even notice the teenagers until they make their presence known.

"Any new information about 'the rightful two'?" Cara narrows her eyes; it's all she can do to keep from lashing out at Blondes about his lateness in having discovered the implications/consequences of Anataling Burial Ground. He is starting to look younger, though, hair almost completely blond now. So that helps with not holding him so accountable.

"No, but we're getting there," Asher answers for him, briefly looking over a shoulder at the women.

"And we did manage to get a hold of Kahlan. Tell her what was going on." Blondes nods at the screen. "She was just here."

Hyper looks to Cara, knowing how agitated she already is about these two topics in particular.

Blondes rakes a hand through his hair. "Odd, though, how she didn't even show up last night."

"Nothing of your concern," Cara replies, teeth gritting.

"Nothing of my concern?" Blondes takes the time to look over at the girl and immediately wishes he hadn't. The Mord-Sith is wearing the most intimidating scowl he has ever seen. "Never mind." He turns back to the screens.

And with that, Cara turns to leave. She had meant to ask about the slow-healing wound gracing her abdomen, but that can wait.

IIII

"Faster, faster," Coach Rustand yells, checking the clock in her hand as one of her best runners makes it across the finish line of the outdoor track. "Good." She hits the clock. "Not as good as last year. But we'll get there." She smiles.

The girl struggles to catch her breath, dragging her weight to the sidelines where other hopefuls, dressed in typical runner-wear, also wait.

It is an hour after school, and they are competing during tryouts; Cara stands stretching between Becky and another competitor.

Off in the stands, she sees Tanya arriving just in time to watch her. Along with a few other spectators. "What in the..." Cara mutters under her breath.

"What?" Becky takes note, gray eyes catching in the stand, where Kahlan — in black cloak and all — takes a seat a few rows above Tanya. "So the bitches decided to show up?" Becky smirks, signaling a few girls on the sidelines to join her leering. Some of these girls are a part of Cara and Becky's crew, and they are all too eager to take part in bashing.

"She's such a loser," one girl says, eyes on Kahlan. "She's only popular because the boys think she's a hot piece of ass. And of course their drone-girlfriends agree."

"Hmm, I don't know," Becky looks from Kahlan to Tanya, and back to Kahlan again. "She's pretty nice."

"That's just an act," another girl says. "Just a ploy to win over as many people as possible and de-throne Cara as Queen B. No different than what Tanya-slut has tried to do for years." She quickly looks to Becky. "And what's with the 'Oh, she's nice' talk? Didn't you just call her a bitch a few moments ago?"

"Because I like the word 'bitch'." Becky's smirk widens.

Cara straightens, and her eyes involuntarily seek out Kahlan's. When their eyes lock, as always, everything else seems to fall away.

"Did you hear what she did to Big Bertha?" a third competitor chimes in. "Poor girl is a mess."

"Oh like you care," Becky scoffs.

"What?" the girl says. "I'm only pointing out how shallow that cunt is. She's always been after Cara - in one way or another. In fact, I'm thinking she dumped Bertha so that she could have our running champ here all to herself. Bobby's always talking about how she's after his girl." Her gaze shifts to the athlete. "Isn't that right, Cara?"

Cara is snapped back to her surroundings, answering on impulse, "Well, the dyke was informed early on that I don't swing that way. So if she is after me, she's wasting her time." Her eyes narrow, just as Kahlan's appear to darken.

The other girls laugh. "Maybe she's also hard of hearing," one asserts.

"Hey, this isn't a social affair. Cara, get your ass over here," Coach Rustand reprimands, blowing on a whistle.

She's a well-built woman, not as defined as Big Bertha, but not of typical womanly form either. Her curly blond hair is amassed in a mullet on her head, her blue eyes seemingly obscured by their small shape, and her voice is as commanding as a Drill Sergeant's.

Cara's hands flatten at her shorts as she joins the woman on the track.

Becky would focus on her friend, making sure to provide sufficient moral support, but she's far too intrigued by their guests. "If Kahlan is here for Cara, why is Tanya here?" She watches the red-head suspiciously.

"Maybe because she wants in on the action as well? Goodness knows she's brought up girl-on-girl action enough times," one of the competitors note.

The other girls giggle.

Cara takes running-form. And when the whistle blows, her feet lead her down the track faster than she can remember. She's always been a great runner. It's why coach after coach has tried to get her to join for years now. Why she chose this year is beyond her, but she suddenly realizes that she is no longer a great runner.

She's an excellent runner.

A supernatural runner even.

Her legs move along the track as though wings traveling on air, preparing to soar at unprecedented rates. Testing and flexing their capability.

But it's also uncomfortable.

Her muscles burn like crazy, thighs and calves contorting from within, sending messages to her brain that they are breaking...peeling. Peeling away their outer, weaker layer to reveal their hidden, stronger layer beneath. The layer of transformed muscle...knowing no limitations. No bounds.

Cara can barely feel her feet slamming against the pavement now, can barely control the speed.

But she knows she has to.

She looks up for Kahlan, finds her in the stands, and then everything is clear. Less chaotic. It's about as cliché as a love song, but looking at Kahlan in that moment brings her peace. Her limbs cease to feel like fire, slowing down instead to a cool, synchronized motion. She can feel her feet again, the pavement. _Is this Kahlan? Is she anchoring me?_

Cara is across the finish line then — Coach Rustand stopping the clock with an overjoyed holler, competitors patting her on the back in pure amazement — before she can even ponder the question clearly.

"Goddamn!" Rustand looks the blond runner over; Cara's too busy gasping for air. "We knew you were fast. But this...this is some whole 'nother level shit." The curly-haired woman is apparently stupefied. "For a few moments there, I could have sworn you were like the Flash going down that lane." The other girls agree, nodding. "But that's impossible." Rustand quickly shrugs it off, slapping Cara hard on the back. "Either way, you're on the team. Don't need to assess others to know there's no beating that."

Cara nods, still gasping for breath. She again seeks out Kahlan's gaze, but the brunette is gone.

IIII

Tanya sneaks into Coach Rustand's office, located at the head of the girl's locker room. Wanting to congratulate Cara, and hopefully win some "bonus points" with her, she knows waiting here is the only chance she'll have of that if she intends to do it now. Coach Rustand hasn't exactly been subtle about her no-mingling-with-my-runners rule; during practice or games, as well as afterward if still near the track, team members are to stay focused on each other, with the exception of family members. 'Outsiders' aren't even allowed in the girl's locker room. And Tanya is quite certain that even applies to soon-to-be track teams.

Rustand usually doesn't come back to her office until twenty or so minutes after the girls enter, so there is enough time to sneak up on Cara and slip out before the testy coach notices, especially since some of the girls had decided they were too sore to attempt a shower right now, preferring to stay splayed out on the field for a few minutes longer, and the others had left with Becky to prepare for a party at her mansion.

As soon as footsteps are heard, Tanya moves swiftly back against the wall beside the cracked door, stiff as a board.

Outside the office, Cara approaches her locker door. She's surprised to hear someone behind her.

"What was that out there?" the voice is accusatory and it sends a shiver down Cara's spine.

"Don't worry. No one even noticed the little power surge," Cara pulls a towel and soap from her locker. "Not the supernatural aspect of it anyway."

_Power surge? Supernatural aspect?_ Tanya's interest is piqued and she listens in harder.

"But then again, that was you, wasn't it?" Cara talks over her shoulder to the person, closing the locker door. "The reason I didn't lose control."

"I'm not talking about what happened while you were running, Cara." Kahlan spins the woman toward her. "I'm talking about what you said."

Cara makes a confused face. But then she realizes. "What, about you being a dyke?" She chuckles. "C'omn, Kahlan, I have to keep up appearances. It's not like I should have opined about how hot I find you to be."

"Of course not." Kahlan blushes. "I'm not saying you should have exposed our mutual attraction to the world. But you didn't have to trash it either."

Tanya's eyes bulge. _Keep up appearances?_ _Hot? Mutual attraction? _She temporarily struggles for breath while attempting to remain silent. _Cara and Kahlan like each other? Cara and Kahlan are attracted to each other? _

While Tanya had made a joke of it before, never did she think it may actually be true.

All her mind is telling her now, however, is that this needs to be documented...if anyone is ever to believe her.

She reaches for the cell phone at her pocket and pushes "Record." It won't pick up their images from where she's standing, but it'll certainly pick up their voices. And their voices is all she needs.

"We're supposed to be past that now," Kahlan continues. "Evolving into something...more."

"Evolving? Did you not hear what I told Bobby this morning?"

There is a pause.

"What did you expect me to say?" Cara carries on. "How do you expect me to act? Like we're buddies or something? There'd need to be buildup to that, Kahlan. Buildup before anyone other than 'Blondes & Crew' buys it."

"I expect you to stop hiding, to stop lying to yourself and others about what you want." Kahlan's jaw clinches.

"You expect too much."

Kahlan looks away. Stung.

Cara moves closer, eyes narrowing. "How'd you hear me anyway?... Back on the track... Do you have super hearing or som -"

Wait a minute.

"That first day at your house ... My god... You do, don't you? Right before sending me away, you said, '_Your friends are calling for you_.' ...You could hear them."

"Cara..."

"Jeez, Kahlan. You're always keeping secrets!" Cara tries to move away.

Kahlan pushes her back against the lockers. "Look who's talking. Those drawings from this morning?"

Cara watches the slender fingers on her shoulder. "So I drew you. It's hardly a secret." Her gaze directs itself to the accusing eyes staring back at her.

"Hardly a..." Kahlan pulls back, mouth twitching. "Of course it's a secret! Are you advertising to the world that you wish to bed me? Did you let me know about these drawings? Or even that you were capable of such ability?" Her lips pull thin. "Or are these drawings, the nude portraits that they are, still tucked away in your drawer, never to be seen again?"

Tanya's cheeks turn red.

Kahlan's eyes harden.

Cara challenges. "No... They're in my closet."

"How fitting."

"What do you care anyway?" Cara frowns.

"I care." Kahlan steps closer. "Why didn't you tell me you could draw?"

"Because you like art and all that stuff."

"And?"

"And I didn't want to give you anything else to like about me. Okay? One more thing that we'd have in common." Cara bends one knee against the locker, throwing the towel over her shoulder. "Things were already complicated enough, and -"

"- I see." Kahlan looks to the floor.

"But like I said... What do you care? You've rejected me twice now."

"And how many times have you rejected me?"

Cara looks away.

Kahlan grasps her hands. "Cara, I care." She pulls one set of fingers to her lips, earning Cara's attention. "You don't know how much I care." She kisses the digits.

Cara watches with concentrated interest. "It was you who calmed me on the track."

"You know that it was." Kahlan pulls the woman's other hand to her lips.

"Why are you kissing me now?" Cara angers, not knowing exactly why. She just knows that Kahlan touching her like this, all the while keeping her emotionally at bay, aggravates her. At least she's never touched Kahlan like this while turning her away.

In fact...

"You talk about how I rejected you," Cara starts, standing straight.

Kahlan pauses, moving back to gauge this change in discussion.

"But that first night in my room, you could have had me. It was you who walked away," the Flamer contends. "Something about not wanting to have sex in the same proximity as parents. What was that even about?"

"I -"

"- And that first time in your home...it was you who pushed me away. Didn't like feeling like an experiment/like you were being used, you said."

"True, but -"

"- And we can't forget this Monday, or earlier today. It was you. All you, Kahlan. You could have had me each time. Even when I was under that spell!"

Kahlan studies the woman before her, the way she's frowning, the way her rosy cheeks are puffing._ The spell..._ "You remember, don't you? After that child, Adam, put you under the spell, a love spell of some sort... You remember how you acted, what you said to me."

Cara doesn't answer.

Kahlan laughs incredulously. "Between this and the drawings, I don't want to hear you ever chastise me again about keeping secrets."

"Screw you!" Cara throws her towel over her other shoulder and proceeds to walk away.

"Hold on a moment." Kahlan tries to push her back, but Cara grabs her by the hand and sends her crashing into the lockers several feet over.

Tanya gasps, quickly covering up her mouth and hoping she wasn't heard.

"I said screw you!" Cara breaths, teeth bared.

"And yet you never do." Kahlan slowly rises, a noticeable indention left where she was pressed. "You want to talk about rejection... How about after that first night in your room, when you continued to insist that you wanted Bobby?" Kahlan is in front of the Mord-Sith in a flash, the latter's turn to go crashing into a row of lockers.

Cara is sent spiraling, sliding to the ground afterward with a grunt.

"Bitch." She spits blood, propping up on all fours.

"And after that," Kahlan continues, "insisting that you could only be with Bobby. Saying you hated me. Practically having me beg for your touch at Tanya's party. Running away from the kiss that followed. Saying you needed 'time'."

Tanya remains silent in Rustand's office, hand still covering her mouth, face nearly white as a ghost. She isn't exactly sure what type of physical altercation is going on outside that door, but she knows two girls shouldn't be able to create such a racket. To where the room has seemingly shook.

_And what the hell do they mean about super-hearing and spells? s_he ponders_. Some kind of cult-talk? Figure of speech?_

"I did need time." Cara stands, fist balling at her sides.

"But then you go and seduce me in the nearest grocery store," Kahlan counters, "only to dip out afterward! Before anything even happened!" The brunette's voice rises.

"We've been over this!"" Cara roars, slamming into Kahlan. "I wanted to be sure."

Kahlan flips their positions. "You are so childish!" She holds Cara by the shoulders.

"You aren't my mother, Kahlan!" Cara relaxes against the metal. It's always a struggle to push the brunette off when she has her pinned like this. "Maybe that's what's wrong with us now. You act more like my parent than a suitable mate."

Kahlan looks the woman over...curiously...as though she's considering these words.

"You aren't that much older than me when you think about it," Cara whispers. "You were brought back much earlier. But our souls? They're pretty much neck and neck."

"If we were the same age," Kahlan utters, working her way down her challenger's torso, "I believe you'd be ready for this." She drops to her knees, hands raising the woman's shirt and dragging along muscled flesh.

It hits Cara like a wave of onslaughts — Kahlan's tongue and lips on her skin. Kahlan's fingers exploring. With every new kiss to her abdomen, it's as though the contact is communicating with an inner, more primal part of her. A primal part waiting to be released.

The kisses continue as Kahlan pulls her shorts down...just a little below waistline, revealing the peak of the fine blond hairs beneath.

Cara moans, hands grasping at locker doors.

Tanya's cheeks are redder than ever, hands clutching the phone nervously._ Surely Cara and Kahlan aren't doing what it sounds like they're doing...when anyone can walk in at any moment?_

Kahlan stares up at Cara, kissing just a little below her navel, eyes appearing to dilate with something Cara doesn't quite recognize.

Whatever it is must also be connecting with something within Cara, because the blond Mord-Sith starts to light up, heart beating erratically just like on the track, breath short, body trembling. And nerves making her panic.

Within seconds, Cara's entire body is aflame, and it is suddenly clear what Kahlan is doing. This isn't just about sex; it's about showing who is ready for sex. That if Cara could handle this, she'd be able to keep the flames intact. That her left hand, now covering Kahlan's, wouldn't appear to be trying to stop its descent.

Kahlan lets her free hand travel upward, reaching to anchor away the flames with a gentle touch to Cara's bicep. She works her way up afterward, bringing their faces to eye level. And with a single lick to the woman's face, whispers, "Call me when you're ready to be an adult."

And just like that, Kahlan is gone. But not before returning the dented lockers back to normal.

Cara is stunned. Not only by the heated state of her body, but by the revelation of yet another one of Kahlan's powers. "Goddamn it!" She slams a hand against the locker door.

Tanya is at a loss for words, mind jumbled and crisscrossing, struggling to make sense of this._ Is this real?_ Just a figment of her sometimes-twisted imagination? If the former, Tanya doesn't know what this means for Cara and Kahlan's relationship, but she knows exactly what it means for her future with Cara.

Looking to her cell phone, she smiles.

IIII

Will Turzing had kept silent since his encounter with Cara and her comrades, stalking in the shadows, staying hidden among the undead. All for fear of what ridicule...or worse, death...he may face from the zombie king. He'd failed to carry out Raising Ground. He and Big Bron. And now he must face the consequences.

But even he knows that if King Zombie wanted him dead (permanently), he'd be dead.

And so he stands before the ruler now, during the setting of night, in their underground sanctuary, with information he hopes may work him back into the creature's good graces. "King Zombie...," he says, "I have seen the Flamer's anchor."

Leisar, hands clasped behind his back, turns to face his minion among the other undead feasting on rotten flesh. As his armor shines in the firelight (several flames existing within ancient torch holders), he notices that the zombie has developed a thicker coating of skin, like his fellow "brothers" and "sisters," for the upcoming battle.

"The Flamer's anchor?"

"Yes, my lord." Will kneels. "It seems to have been a secret for most of the anchor's arrival in Firesridge, for she was not present in our earlier battles with the Flamer."

"She?"

"I knew it was her the moment I saw them fighting back-to-back. While the others were actively fending off our troops, she was actively protecting the Flamer. Touching her intermittently as though to keep the flames at bay."

"My men have already reported an additional female."

"Yes, it is true that there is a brown-haired woman among them. A banshee, as the others have said. But I do not speak of her, my lord." Will dares to look up at the demon. "I speak of the one they call Kahlan."

"Kahlan," Leisar says it as though it's acid to his skin, eyes widening and bulging, then settling on the ceiling. "Could it be..."

"The Kahlan from the stories you told me upon my awakening... Yes, my king, she fits the description exactly." Will's eyes once again falter to the ground. "It was the night you were made aware of 'the rightful two.' The Flamer and her followers were leaving the school when they were attacked by our kind, one of your distractions. Right before they left, I saw the Flamer grab hold of this woman and call her 'Kahlan'." He sneers. "Kahlan...this woman... She vanished soon after... Vanished in thin air."

Leisar moves to a zombie tearing away at flesh. Bending the creature's head back, he takes some of the meal into his own mouth.

Even before Leisar's plan to initiate Raising Round, he'd had a backup plan. Many years ago, in exchange for sparing a prophet's life, the frightened prophet had offered 'a view into the future,' telling him that two sacrifices would be of great benefit to the zombie fold shall he fail in his attempts to produce Raising Ground. That it would be three weeks after this failure, that he should take up watch in a particular area. Leisar, being the arrogant and egotistical creature that he is, had scoffed at the idea of failure.

Needless to say, it was no coincidence that the king and his minions had found Anataling Burial Ground; it had been glowing a bright blue that night, foretold to have been invisible before then, with one scroll lying atop it. Once the scroll was lifted, the soon-to-be gravesite ceased to glow, and the monsters headed back to their graveyard...where their selected sacrifices awaited them. The scroll hadn't been as detailed as one would like, neglecting to reveal the identities of the Flamer and anchor, and any extensive reason behind its existence, but it had revealed the names of the foretold replacements.

And Leisar had trusted it.

Not only had the prophet been right about the possibility of his failure, the text warned of future documentation that may likely make its existence known to Flamers and Youngsters alike.

"You may have just redeemed yourself, William." The king wipes blood from his elongated teeth, and makes his way to the younger creature. "Certainly better than the image of you screeching like a corned bore right before determining its escape." He lift's the zombie's chin.

Will shuts his eyes; he knows how embarrassingly girly he was in his last encounter with the Flamer, and is determined to make up for that. To show that he is no longer that same naive weakling.

"All of you hear me," Leisar addresses the others, "things are working in our favor...as expected. But let us not lose focus. The night is not over, and the prizes have yet to be obtained. The prizes entailing the Flamer's destruction."

IIII

"Why aren't we having sex yet?" Hyper sighs, lying back on her bed.

Amber stands in front of the girl's dresser, her back to her, as she unlaces the bands around her wrists. She looks around the room, assessing the pictures of scientists and chemistry bottles adorning desks. And decides that, other than that, it's a pretty normal teenage room.

"We've only known each other for a week," she finally turns to the blonde, placing a gun on a nearby table. "Why are you so eager to engage in such intimacies? Do you think that's all romance is about?" She sits on the bed beside the girl.

"No. It's just..." Hyper pushes the glasses back up on her face. "Everyone my age has already had sex during this stage of their relationships." She pulls her knees to her chest, scrunching her nose. "Everyone my age has already had sex, period. Except for Cara...which is odd. I mean, she always seemed like the more sexually-experienced one... Which, I guess, must be due to her 'old soul'."

Amber loosens her brown ponytail, letting the locks flow free, light brown eyes connecting with Hyper's blue ones. "Is that what we have - a relationship?"

"But of course!" Hyper's knees falter and she scoots closer to the woman. "You're like...totally my girlfriend now."

Amber looks to the bed sheets at that, teeth sinking into full lips, and it worries Hyper.

"Are we going to be like Cara and Kahlan?"

"What?" Amber looks up at her.

"Well, Cara's always complaining about how Kahlan is so mysterious and so emotionally cut off. But I can tell that Cara likes the mysteriousness. And, really, Cara is mysterious herself. She's never been one to open up about her emotions, except for with Gicko and me. And so it's kinda rich that she expects such openness from Kahlan," the blonde pauses, eyes lowering. "Still..." She fiddles with the sheets. "I don't want us to be like them. I want to know everything about you." Her gaze flickers back to the brunette.

"Like what?" Amber whispers, lips close.

"Like... Um, okay...this is your human form, correct?"

"Correct?"

"So how did it get to be your 'human form' and not just what you always are? Are you always in spirit form? I mean, before recently?"

"Yes." Amber drags a finger along Hyper's arm. "This body you see before you now is my original body from long ago. I hadn't used it until I was summoned to appear in Firesridge."

"Summoned?"

"It's feels like a summoning," Amber says, pulling back. "Every once in a while, I am needed to warn a member of the O'Connor family of an impending death among them. Before being summoned, it is as though I am in a prison. A mystical prison of sorts - positioned between life and death - where the outside world can even be observed. There are others like me, of course, in the prison. Some who are also tied to the O'Connor family; this adds to the rare freedom I do experience because I am often not needed."

"So you'll have to go back?" Hyper nearly shrieks. "I don't want you to go back. I want you here. "

"I can appear in any form," Amber continues as though not having heard her. "I can be a beautiful seductress, using my own body or one I dare to dream up. Or I can be an old hag."

"I already know that." Hyper wipes at the tears now forming at her eyes." Why are you ignoring me?"

"I'm not ignoring you." Amber places her hands over the blonde's. "I'm just... This is how it's always been, Hyper. Maybe I can finish telling you a bit more about me before we get to the hard part?"

"It's already hard." Hyper covers her face, shielding her expression.

Amber watches the tears streaming over those refined fingers.

There is a long pause. But then...

"Any form?" Hyper sniffles.

"Just about." Amber chuckles, gently pulling the girl's hands down so that she may face her. "Except for non-living objects or beings so small that they'd require the use of a microscope."

"And the image of a banshee that was on that victim's back?"

"Is my main spirit form. It is why I refer to myself as a monster."

"But you aren't one, Amber. I -"

"- I know myself, Hyper. Trust when I say that I am."

There is more silence, Hyper curling back into the fetal position, eyes half-obscured by her arms. "How does one become a banshee?"

"You got all night?" Amber laughs, but quickly ceases when she sees the seriousness on the girl's face. "To be honest, I don't exactly know. But I do know that all banshees had a relationship of some kind with the great five Gaelic families."

"You must have had plenty of relationships," Hyper pouts, obviously implying 'of the romantic kind.'

"Like Kahlan, I died when I was eighteen. Unlike Kahlan, I wasn't free to roam the world afterward... Prison, remember?"

Hyper takes in another sniffle, nodding.

"I only had one lover before my death, Hyper. A woman, if you must know."

"And she...?"

"Got to live a full, healthy life." Amber's eyes temporarily flash with sadness; Hyper strokes her face.

"Amber...just how old are you?"

"I died in 1702."

"Four centuries old and counting."

"Yes."

"And you've barely experienced life?"

"Yes."

"Oh, Amber." Hyper starts to tear up again. "You've had so little time. We have so little time...together." She pulls the rigid brunette into a hug. "It makes it that much more urgent that I experience as many wonderful things with you as I can." She pulls away, looking the brunette over. "I want to know all of you."

"Hyper -"

" - And I don't just mean sex. Not that I don't want to have sex with you, I mean. Sex with you would be great, and I'm sure that -"

Amber cuts off the girl's "fast-speak" with a soft kiss to the lips. "We'll get there when you're ready. Not because you feel pressured to or behind the clock."

"But -"

"- I can feel when I'm being pulled back, Hyper. And I don't think you're in any danger of losing me just yet. It seems being the friend of a Flamer puts one in all kinds of foreseeable and imminent danger." Amber laughs.

Hyper laughs as well, stroking the woman's fingers.

"Besides...with the rules I've come to recently learn of...with regard to this modern world, I'd feel less uncomfortable about it if you were eighteen already. When is that birthday of yours again?"

Hyper giggles, laying a soft punch to the woman's shoulder.

In another moment, her features become worried again. "Do you think that's what's wrong with Cara and Kahlan? Kahlan finds it to be uncomfortable?"

IIII

Kahlan sits in her living room listening to a new selection of classical music. She's just gotten out of the shower, now dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, and has decided to relax with a glass of wine in her hand.

But Asher suddenly appears at her side.

"Long day?" he asks, looming over her with a grin.

Kahlan looks up at the man-child, assessing his colorful Hawaiian attire. She's almost tempted to ask him what vacation he's been on, but decides against it.

The Youngster simply has a lively taste in clothing, she's come to realize. Whether "hip," "out of style," "or kinda dorky," Asher is wearing it if he likes it.

"You're certainly chipper for someone with two Flamers on his hands and an appending apocalypse," she responds.

"The 'rightful two,' yes." Asher teleports to the record player beside the pool table and shuts it off.

Kahlan gives him an irritated look.

Asher ignores it. "And you? Why aren't you worried?"

"What for?" Kahlan takes a sip. "You and Blondes find anything else out about these people who are looking replace us - Cara and me?"

"Well, no." Asher teleports back to Kahlan.

"And there's no reason to believe that Leisar knows of, or has located, Anataling Burial Ground, correct?"

"Well -"

" - Then why should I be worried? You're handling your Flamer. Blondes is handling Cara. The group is stronger than ever."

"You really think it's a good idea to be calling King Zombie 'Leisar'?"

"Why not? It's his name, isn't it?" Kahlan takes another sip, peering over the glass at the sandy brown-haired Youngster."

"Yes, but -"

"I'm thinking about telling her everything, Asher... Cara."

Asher looks as though he's having a hard time keeping up with the brunette's words.

Kahlan smirks. "Worried, you ask? I'm worried more about this bond I share with someone who doesn't even factor into my life."

Asher's eyebrows raise.

"Did you know, " Kahlan laughs with emptiness, "that I got my period today? Just hours before you arrived. My first period...since... Forever it seems."

"Whoa!" The Youngster's hands wave about. "You mean to tell me you -" He immediately starts to pace back and forth. "It must have been some sort of chain reaction, your body preparing itself...showing that it's capable...ready...for reproduction." His fingers scratch at his chin. "Simply put, immortal women don't have menstrual cycles."

"Don't I know it," Kahlan takes a long sip, eyes hard.

"Tell me what happened?" Asher takes a seat on the table behind him.

Kahlan puts the glass down to his left, then sits back against the sofa, pulling a pillow to her chest. "Cara and I got into a fight... Earlier today in the girls' locker room."

Asher waits for her continue.

"She complained about how I'm always keeping secrets." Kahlan's eyes focus straight ahead, sparkling. "That I'm not open with her enough. That our lack of sex life?" She looks to Asher then, smirking. "That's on me."

"Sheesh," Asher's dark green eyes take on an even more concentrated look.

"You should have seen her, Asher," Kahlan turns to the pillow, fingers playing with its ruffles. "Blaming everything on me. Refusing to take responsibility for her part in this mess of a relationship." There is a laugh, disbelieving and bitter. "God, she's such a child. And I told her as much."

"You what?"

"She was saying how I interact with her more like a mother than a lover," Kahlan's fingers rake through her long, dark hair. "All I did was let her know that if there is a noticeable age difference, it's because she's yet to step up and be an adult."

"Kahlan..." Asher's head sinks into his hands, dragging along his face in the next moment.

"She's just so infuriating, and -"

"- She's right."

"Excuse me?" Kahlan's eyes flash to her confidante, wide and confused.

"Not about everything, but about treating her like a child. You can't do that, Kahlan. How are you two ever going to work out if you're more like the old lady reprimanding her?"

"She's immature, and selfish, and -"

"- She's eighteen!"

"I've known eighteen-year-olds a hell of a lot more mature than her! I've been one of them! And, according to her - and you - she's a lot older than that!" Kahlan's tone is elevated more by its sharpness than its volume. "Waving her 'I'm an old soul' card around, asserting why we're on the same footing. Or maybe why I shouldn't be so insecure."

"And she's right about that, too," Asher stands, sighing heavily. "You say 'been one of them,' but you're still eighteen as well."

"Just whose side are you on?" Kahlan's teeth grit, eyes like daggers on the male above her.

"I'm on both of your sides." His voice lowers. "It's just, Kahlan...you can't keep acting like you're the town pedophile trying to rob the cradle."

"Pedophilia is the sexual preference for prepubescent children." Her gaze turns straight ahead.

"Yeah?"

"Cara hasn't been prepubescent for years."

"Don't I know it."

Kahlan turns to him then, seeing the twinkle in his eyes. It occurs to Kahlan in that moment just how "not a child" Asher really is. In "Youngster years," he's basically an adult. And Kahlan temporarily wonders what his kind must do to take care of their own sexual desires...if they have any. Given their low population rate, reproduction certainly isn't prevalent.

"All I'm saying," he stresses, folding his arms across his chest, "is that, yes, you are older in every way except for the physical form. Hell, even your soul is significantly older because it was reincarnated first, and you've gotten to live a long second life already. But Cara's soul is pretty old, too. You're old in spirit and in mind, so now you just have to find a way to work past your mental age difference...and you'll be set. Sure, there's still homophobia, shame and mother issues to work through. But belittling each other is not going to help you get any closer to that. Treating Cara as anything less than your equal is not going to help you get any closer to that. Working together will." His hands clap together. "So when she says she wants a beer, let her have one. When she says she's ready to make love to you, believe her."

Kahlan smiles softly at that, looking to the floor.

"And who knows." Asher kneels beside the woman, lifting her chin. "You may even discover the 'adult Cara' you so crave...somewhere in between all that working. The Mord-Sith Cara."

Kahlan bites on her bottom lip, blue eyes starting to water. "I have to tell her, Asher. About me and everything I was before now."

"Are you sure that's wise? You may lose her before ever gaining her."

"I know." Kahlan looks to the floor. "But not letting her in has only caused trouble...conflict between us. And like you said...we need to work together." She pins him with a determined stare. "That starts with opening myself up emotionally... Us really getting to know each other."

IIII

Cara watches Bobby in his boxer briefs slowly lighting candles all around them. On the bed and nearly panicking, she herself is in a spaghetti-strap top and panties.

They're at her house, waiting, anticipating, Bobby having somehow been convincing enough in his assertion that it is time they make love.

But as he smiles back at her, muscles illuminated by the firelight, Cara is all the more certain that his assertion is wrong. She can't stop thinking about Kahlan, what transpired between them in the locker room, all the times before.

"I've wanted this from the first moment I saw you." Bobby's at the end of the bed now. "God, Cara...you are so splendid." He slowly crawls over her. "This past week without you was torture. But it just reiterated how much I've longed to be closer to you. To experience you."

As he presses against her, mouth claiming hers, body stretching along her length, Cara has a brief moment where she thinks she may just be able to see this through. But when she doesn't feel that same fire, that same longing and desperation that is present whenever she is with Kahlan, she knows it is not enough. It'll never be enough.

Kahlan was wrong to imply that being unable to control the flames during sexual intimacy means that Cara isn't ready for such closeness. If anything — those flames — it's how it's supposed to be.

Someone who makes your pulse race. Someone who makes your heart go into overdrive, your skin light afire.

Figuratively or literally.

And for Cara, it is both, and only with Kahlan.

"I'm so glad we waited for the perfect moment," Bobby whispers into her ear.

"Bobby...," Cara's voice falters, " I..." Her hands push at his chest. "I can't."

The dark-haired boy pulls back, blue eyes searching. "What is it?"

Those blues only serve as reminders of the blue eyes she wishes were actually staring back at her.

Cara sits up against the pillow. "We should stop."

"Why?" Bobby moves on all fours, head craning to catch her gaze. "I told you I have protection." He looks to the drawer beside them, then back. "Wait... Is this about this morning, with Kahlan? Because I've already apologized for that. I just missed you so much." He pushes away a strand of her hair. "And jealousy got the better of me."

"It's not that." Cara looks to the bed.

Silence seems to envelop them, but not for long.

"What's this?" His hand goes to the half-a-heart necklace that has slipped from under her top.

"It's -"

"- Are you...cheating on me?"

"What, no." Her eyes instantly flicker up to his.

"You are, aren't you?" He moves back with a sneer. "That's why you don't want to make love."

"Bobby." Cara tries to grab onto his arms, but he yanks away. "That's not what this is."

"What else can it be?" his voice raises. "I've been a great boyfriend. An excellent boyfriend even! I don't have any STDs. You don't have any hangups about premarital sex. We've been together for four months. Four months since I've been wanting to f**k you. What other guy my age is going to wait that damn long to f**k his girlfriend?" He looks exasperated. "You don't even like wearing necklaces."

"I just..." Cara grabs at her hair, clearly frustrated. "I think it's best we take a break."

"A break?"

"A permanent one." Her eyes meet his.

Bobby chuckles disbelievingly, getting off the bed to scoop up his pants to the side. "It's that bitch Kahlan, isn't it? She's turned you into a dyke." He yanks them on.

Cara just stares. This entire moment is surreal. Never did she think she'd be turning away Bobby. But never did she think he'd look so unappealing.

"You don't even deny it?" He yanks on his shirt.

Cara feels her anger growing. "Whatever there is between Kahlan and me," her voice challenges and she stands, "she didn't turn me into anything."

"Four months." The chagrined boy holds up four fingers for emphasis. "You just remember that when you're f**king Kahlan. That is, if two girls can even f**k." He grabs the rest of his things and heads for the door.

"Bobby!" Cara rushes after them.

They reach the front door downstairs, Bobby yanking it open and finding "Blondes & Crew" standing there glaring at him. Blondes and Asher immediately notice Cara's undressed state, eyes conveying their disapproval.

Gicko and Hyper look as though they are only going to murder the boy responsible for it.

Amber looks amused.

And Kahlan... Well, she looks crushed, eyes taking in Cara's scantily-clad body just the same before darting away.

Bobby scoffs at them all, pushing past them and out the door.

"Uh, excuse you!" Hyper looks behind her, toward his retreating form.

They hear his car start up and pull away moments later, before they zero back in on Cara.

"Are you okay?" asks Asher. He'd rather be asking that to Kahlan, but this isn't the time.

"Yeah," Gicko concurs, "do I need to track him down and -"

" - I'm fine," Cara cuts the boy off. "Just...a lover's quarrel."

"Really?" Hyper worries. "Because -"

"- I said I'm fine!" Cara snaps, rubbing at her temples. "Just... What are you all doing here?" She tries to catch Kahlan's gaze, but the brunette isn't even attempting to look her way.

"Blondes and Asher believe we may have located Anataling Burial Ground," Gicko explains. "The two of them had us suit up and rush over here immediately to meet with you."

"You found the burial ground?" Cara looks skeptical.

"Well, not exactly." Blondes activates a holographic screen before them. "This has been all over the news today."

They see a reporter describing the gruesome events believed to have occurred at a local store last night. The shop's clerk had been murdered, only his intestines and ID left behind. Next to that ID, investigators had found a "calling card" of sorts, apparently left by the perpetrators — picture IDs of two teenagers and a note in some kind of foreign language. While the parents of the teens insisted that their kids couldn't have had anything to do with this and that they've been missing, too, investigators said they are keeping their theories of what happened open. Never have they seen anything like this, two of them stated, but it is just another one of the bizarre deaths this town has recently endured...like that girl who was shredded alive. Some have even proposed that they may have an uncharacteristic serial killer on their hands.

"The kids we saw at the school," Cara's voice is distant.

"Yes, the 'beggars,' as they were." Blondes taps the screen away. "I knew something was weird about them the moment I saw them. The note they left behind - detectives won't be able to decipher it. It's one of the major lost languages. But Asher and I were able to run it through our databases -"

"- And what we uncovered is a message," Asher interjects. "Says to meet them at the old St. Peter'sburg Cemetery."

"I still say it doesn't make sense that Anataling Burial Ground is there," Amber offers. "It's not exactly the most well-built place. And it's close by. Firesridge isn't a small town."

"But that's just it," Hyper proposes. "Because it's one of the more unlikely places anyone would think to look, it's all the more perfect a hiding spot."

"Whether it's there or not," Kahlan pipes up, eyes stern, "it's clear that they are. "

Cara manages to catch her gaze then, only briefly. "But why would they kill anyone? They're supposed to replace us, right? Or try to pair with one of us."

"Blondes thinks the betrayers may have summoned the exact opposites of you both," Gicko clarifies. Kahlan's eyes avert again. "Where you two have morals and try and spare as many human lives as possible, these two will do anything they believe justifies the means. Such as killing an innocent man just to lure us into an ambush."

Hyper nods. "It would certainly explain the snake and skull symbols Blondes showed us."

"They didn't just kill him," Cara notes. "They butchered him."

"Duly noted," Gicko holds up a finger.

"And aren't you forgetting the 'best part'?" Cara continues, moving back to grab a shirt off the desk to her side. It's one of her mother's "gardening shirts." She's just lucky the woman is busy at work, and won't be off until early in the morning. "This means King Zombie already found the burial ground. Who else could have killed these kids, buried them at Anataling, and then resurrected them?" She pulls on some "gardening pants" and kicks a pair of boots out of a corner.

"Correct." Asher looks apologetic.

Blondes looks embarrassed.

"But there's a catch." Hyper's eyebrows raise. "If these two are meant to protect people from zombies and other such creatures, why would the betrayers have them ally with King Zombie? Why reveal to him where Anataling Burial Ground is?"

"This is why we believe it is a means to an end," Blondes takes over, "like Gicko spoke of earlier. King Zombie seems to think that 'the rightful two' are a gift to him, to help aid in his goal of achieving world domination. If he knew what 'the rightful two' really were...are...then I doubt he would have resurrected them at all."

"Limited text," Amber explains. "Some things that have been hidden away by our ancestors are ambiguous as to their purpose. Leaving just enough detail to ensure that they may be carried out."

"We think that King Zombie was used as a vessel to facilitate the resurrection," Asher adds. "The betrayers knew there wasn't a chance that any of us would revive their chosen warriors; even with deception, Flamers would have sensed the wrongdoing enough to stop themselves or those close to them from carrying out the act. Sort of like the 'destiny ties' Amber mentioned before. The betrayers must have had access to a prophet who foretold that the king would be their only option."

"And seeing as certain holographic libraries are sealed off from evil, there is double the improbability that King Zombie could have known the entire truth behind Anataling," Blondes confirms.

"I didn't sense anything," Cara steps into the boots. "If I would have sensed something was wrong enough to keep myself or those close to me from initiating the resurrection, then wouldn't I have also been able to sense the actual resurrection...no matter who is causing it?"

Cara and Kahlan's gazes lock, and Kahlan's falters to Cara's midsection...before meeting her eyes again. Cara immediately thinks of the cut on her abdomen delivered by one of the undead. Is Kahlan trying to tell her that the cut, which has been healing impossibly slow given her Flamer powers, is some type of sensory reaction? A sign?

_Sure hadn't felt like a sign_, Cara asserts. But how else to explain the slow healing?

"Considering that 'the rightful two' are now here, it appears 'no'," Asher answers.

"Let's go," Cara rolls her eyes, locking and shutting the door behind them.

"One more thing." Gicko moves beside the woman, heading for the van (no doubt selected due to the increased size of their group). "You should really work on your invitation skills. You didn't even attempt to invite us in. Any ole Joe could have heard our talk of the nasties."

"Oh, shut up." Hyper pops him in the back of the head.

**ACT 5**

"What are we supposed to do?" questions Gicko.

The gang makes their way past the front gates and into St. Peter'sburg Cemetery.

"What do you think we're going to do?" Cara turns the Morphintinta sword in her hand; when it isn't with her, it's with Blondes, as it was today.

She leads the group with caution.

Gicko looks over her shoulder, ready at any moment to expel magic from his hands. "I don't know," he answers. "Talk to them maybe?"

"They killed a man," Cara scolds. "There's no talking to be had."

"And they are meant to kill Cara and me." Kahlan moves beside the woman, pulling out daggers. "Whether trying to pair with us or not, one of us would die if they had their way."

Cara takes this moment to move even closer to the brunette, whispering, "I didn't sleep with Bobby."

Kahlan looks dumbfounded.

"Cara and Kahlan are right," Blondes chimes in, already positioning himself beside Asher. "There's no way all four of them can exist in the same time period."

"Two must die in order for the other two exist," Asher agrees. "But only the correct pairs, it would seem." He teleports ahead to examine a grave and then back to Blondes and the others.

"Might as well be those two," Amber opines, securing two pistols at her thighs before grasping on firmly to the one in her hand.

Gicko huffs. "Guys we're talking about hum -"

" - Human beings?" Hyper pats him on the back. "No, we aren't. You know that. And no matter how good they believe their intentions to be, their intentions aren't good. Would you seriously have them kill Cara or Kahlan instead?"

"Of course not." Gicko turns to her. "But-"

"- Flamer!"

The group simultaneously come to a halt. A pale, brown-haired boy and girl stand some feet away, amongst the trees.

"Ready to be replaced?"

"Get the girl!" The female points to Hyper. "She'll ruin it before it's even begun. That witch!"

"Witch?" Hyper objects. "I'm no witch."

Before the group even has time to react, the boy is shooting some type of spiral liquid out of his hands and into Hyper's head.

"Hyper!" Gicko watches her go down with a scream.

"Hyper...Hyper!" Amber kneels beside her. The blonde is shaking, eyes closed, hands at either side of her head as though trying to expel whatever it is that has afflicted her.

Cara has already turned back around to focus on the wench several feet away from them. "No talking to be had indeed."

"I'll end you!" Amber stands, pistol pointed.

"Not before we end you first," the pale girl declares.

And just like that, her skin starts to peel away, some type of worms — randomly popping into the air and back against her skin again — showing themselves beneath.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph," Gicko breathes, mouth hanging open.

"Yippee! Now you've made my girl mad," says the pale-faced boy jumping around.

The group watches helplessly as the girl's skin falls completely to the ground, and what would otherwise appear to be veins transforming into worms, traveling to the top of her head, and, from there, merging into one. It isn't long before her entire head is one big pile of fish bait.

Her arms retract into their sockets, legs bending backwards and forming into a mass of flesh that isn't at first recognizable. But then, like the sun emerging from clouds, all is clear.

"A snake," Blondes's eyes widen.

A lizard-like tongue sways at what was the girl's mouth. A new head forms by way of worms — a cobra's head.

Scales pop along the now elongated and slithery body. New arms, human but longer, appear at either side. And fangs extend at least halfway past the creature's mouth.

"What is it?" Kahlan looks up at the creature.

"Looks like some type of mythological hybrid." Asher's eyes assess the green of the monster's scales, the red of its underbelly, tan of its muscled arms, black of its eyes.

"Hybrid or not, I'm sure it can die," spits Cara, running head on for the reptile, sword swirling in hand.

"Cara, no!" Kahlan screams out.

But not even seconds later, the snake has devoured the blond challenger, tail swinging with delight.

"Cara!" Kahlan screams again.

The group looks on with horror.

"Ha, ha." The pale boy hops onto the snake's tail. "You're all going to die."

"What kind of heroes are you?" Tears spring from Kahlan's eyes even against her will.

"The kind trying to survive!" The snake speaks, its voice demonic.

Kahlan's whole body feels under attack, mind barely computing, heart failing. "Survive this," she sends a dagger flying straight into one of the snake's eyes.

The monster wails, blood gushing all around them like raindrops.

"Listen to me," Asher pulls Kahlan back. "All of you listen to me. Cara's not dead. But we'll all be if we don't fight back now."

Infuriated, the pale boy sends more spirals their way, but Kahlan and Asher are quicker, combining their abilities to teleport the rest of the group behind a cluster of trees opposite the duo.

"The snake swallowed Cara whole, yes," Asher says," helping to relax the writhing Hyper against a tree. "But it will take time before the digestion process is a threat. That, coupled with Cara's Flamer powers, should buy her enough time for escape." He looks to Kahlan with sympathy but also with a sense of urgency. "You and Amber, with your teleporting and lightning speed, should be able to handle the snake. Blondes, Gicko and I will provide you with cover while we focus on the boy."

Beams of light hit against the trees.

"Now go!" Asher yells.

Kahlan and Amber roll out into the open, weapons raised. The boy attempts to attack the pairing, but his hits are deflected by Gicko and Blondes. Blondes's yellow mist doesn't appear to weaken him, but it does make for a good counter, and the beams shooting from Gicko's eyes do manage to temporarily stun him (though not paralyze as he'd hoped).

Finally, Asher knocks him off the serpent's tail with the summoning of vines, trying his best to bind the boy's hands, but the adolescent bucks free...sending more attacks their way.

Kahlan and Amber take this time to unleash on the snake, Kahlan vanishing and reappearing to stab high at its side; Amber moving quickly from one position to the next to blast it with whatever gun will do the trick. Both making sure not to strike the belly, however, for fear of harming Cara.

"Cara, do you hear me?" Kahlan asks against the monster's skin, giving a high stab to the creature's side as she hangs from one of its large scales. "You need to break free now, Cara. Come back to us." _To me. _

The reptile screeches, hood flaring, tail knocking over gravestones, head trying crane to reach either Kahlan or Amber.

But they are too quick. Like blurs in the atmosphere.

All the creature knows are slices to its skin, piercings to its flesh...

...and expletives from Amber's mouth.

"Do you see that?" Blondes speaks of the way the pale boy's head is lighting up like an X-ray, right along with the cobra's. Though appearing to have completely transformed its exterior, even the reptile's skull shows itself to be human.

"Just like the images." Gicko counters more of the boys' hits alongside Blondes.

"So it would appear," Blondes agrees.

"They are indeed 'the rightful two'," Asher concurs, stroking Hyper's face despite it having no effect on the girl.

"What you did to Hyper, undo it now!" Amber fires her defragmenter at the beast, its body temporarily taking on the form of particles paused mid-air, which correspondingly reveals Cara inside. The blond woman is standing still, nonchalantly leaning on her sword. Suddenly, she looks up and her eyes connect with Kahlan's.

"Shh," she seems to have said. And it is at that moment that the beast's body returns to normal.

"Did you..." Kahlan looks to Amber. And it's clear they aren't the only ones to have noticed, for the fight between the men has ceased.

The pale boy now wears a terribly frightened look.

"Nadia!" he calls outs.

But it is too late. With one burst of light, and an extended piece of steel, the serpent's belly is split open from top to bottom. Fire blazes along the way, and guts spill forth.

Screams collide, both the boy's and the girl's, and soon they are nothing more than flaming corpses. Disintegrating into nothingness from there.

All that is left is Cara, bloody and heaving.

"Ever had any doubt that I'd be back?" she grins.

Tears well up in Kahlan's eyes and she has the overwhelming urge to run to the woman, but instead she holds her ground.

"Hyper," Amber whispers, running back toward the trees.

"Is she okay?" Cara looks toward the treeline, breaking eye contact with Kahlan and causing the brunette to look there as well.

Asher smiles at the waking girl. "She seems to have been released from the spell as soon as -"

" - Hyper. Thank the banshees," Amber says, pulling her into a hug.

"What happened?" Hyper speaks groggily against the woman's shoulder. "Did we win?"

Amber chuckles. "Yes... Yes, we won."

Gicko smiles. Though wishing he was the one to soothe Hyper, he cannot begrudge them this moment.

Blondes moves out from behind the trees, toward Cara. "It would appear their bodies were so interconnected, that destroying one meant destroying the other."

"Yeah... Can I ask you something," Cara answers, meeting him halfway to stop beside Kahlan."Why do you and Asher always say 'It would appear' and 'It would seem'? Is that like some Youngster-talk?"

Kahlan giggles, absentmindedly rubbing Cara's shoulder, which doesn't go unnoticed by the latter.

Asher walks out into the open, dusting his hands together. "Cara and Gicko...help get Hyper out of here. It won't be long now before King Zombie discovers this latest defeat." He reaches the halfway point. "And given your weaken states, it would not be wise for you, or Amber, to stay any longer."

"Since when are you giving orders?" Blondes stands straight, hands flattening against the lapels of his scientist coat.

"I feel fine," Cara declares, pulling Kahlan to her and causing the latter to stiffen.

"Why us and not you guys?" Gicko interjects, walking to join his companions.

Amber supports a wobbly Hyper as they, too, catch up.

"We must salt the ground," Asher replies.

"Salt the ground?" Hyper rubs at her head, still groggy but not so groggy that she can't comprehend what is going on.

"There is a way of making sure that certain burial grounds can never be used for resurrection again, " Amber explains. "Most notably forbidden ones such as this one. We call it salting."

"And believe me," Asher notes, "if it worked for all burial grounds, zombies would have long ceased to be the problem that they are today."

"And you need Kahlan for this, why?" Cara hugs the woman closer, causing Kahlan's heart beat to race.

"Kahlan has true teleportation skills," Asher relays, "whereas mine are limited because they were borrowed from her." He looks to the ground, eyes narrowing. "Once done, the leftover salt, and we're not talking normal/kitchen salt, will need to be transported as far away from here as possible and into unsuspecting soil...so that it may never be misused by those looking to block a genuine resurrection."

"Genuine, like Cara and Kahlan's?" Gicko questions.

"To a degree," Asher affirms."But Cara and Kahlan were reincarnated, so it's not quite the same thing." He looks to the boy. "In any case, Blondes and I are needed in this instance because, between the two of us, the salting spell should move along faster."

"What he said." Blondes nods, looking every bit chagrined.

"It's also easier on myself and Kahlan. You see...we won't have to worry about teleporting more than one person if danger shall arise, which is a significant plus...given how drained we are now."

"Fine, lets go," Cara agrees, pulling Kahlan off to the side. "But promise me that you'll stop by my house soon after. There are things I need to discuss with you." She strokes the brunette's hair.

"Cara...if this is about earlier today..."

"...It's about earlier today...and so much more," Cara whispers against her ear; Kahlan shivers. "Just promise me you'll be there." She pulls back.

Kahlan stares into those hard-to-read eyes, trying to decipher the meaning behind them. "I'll be there," she gives up.

"All right. Let's head out." Cara moves back with a smile.

Minutes after half of their group have left, Kahlan stands there staring at the area in which they departed.

IIII

After having seen to it that Hyper was okay, Cara had taken a taxi back home and immediately sought a shower. Her mind had gone over any and every way that she could tell Kahlan her feelings — how much Kahlan means to her, how much she thinks about her (something the brunette has already gotten an earful of), how she'd refused Bobby earlier tonight because it is Kahlan she wants to be with.

All of these things are still running through Cara's mind now at 11: 30 PM, just an hour later.

It's these thoughts forming into words now, as she paces in a fresh pair of shorts and top in the living room — "Kahlan, you make me feel alive... Kahlan, I want to be with you. Is this love? No, it can't be love... I'll tell my mother someday, but for now, can't we just... Kahlan, I'm sorry for how I've treated you." — when the doorbell rings.

"Kahlan!" Cara's face lights up, and she dashes toward the door, yanking it open. But when she finds Tanya Livingston standing there instead, in her usual "short skirt and tight shirt" attire, it reminds her why...a second ago...it occurred to Cara that it couldn't be Kahlan. Why would Kahlan ring the doorbell, after all?

"And you're at my house this time of night - or even at all - because?" Cara frowns at the woman.

Tanya waltzes right on in, looking around. "Mother home?"

"She gets off in two or three hours -" Cara stops herself, patience waning. "Why are you here?"

"Because I like you?"

That gets Cara's attention, but it's not what she's looking for. "That's well and fine," she says. "But you have to go now." She moves toward the red-head, grabbing her by the arms.

"Ah, ah." Tanya bats her hands away. "Now is that the way to treat the woman who has all the dirty details on your sordid lesbian affair?"

"Sordid lesbian affair?" Cara backs away.

Tanya pulls out her cell phone, smiling. Then presses play:

"_Of course it's a secret! Are you advertising to the world that you wish to bed me? Did you let me know about these drawings? Or even that you were capable of such ability? Or are these drawings, the nude portraits that they are, still tucked away in your drawer, never to be seen again?_"

"_No... They're in my closet_."

Cara feels her heart stop, even if for a second, and everything might as well have crashed in upon her then and there.

Tanya's smile widens. "I'm not entirely sure what you two meant about the supernatural-talk, but that can wait." She looks toward the stairs. "Now...unless you want me discussing this with your mother, in addition to discussing it with the entire school... Let's not forget Bobby... I take it you'll be following me upstairs?" The red-head's hips sway as she leads the way.

Cara closes the front door, expression grim.

IIII

No one should have to see what Kahlan sees. No one who's in love.

Stealthily positioned in a tree overlooking a window, just thirty minutes later, she sees her — the object of her affection, barley clothed, and kissing another.

Cara isn't just kissing Tanya Livingston, she's passionately kissing her. Kissing at her neck, at her collarbone, near her cleavage.

Kahlan's heart shatters.

...Again...

...and again...

...and again...

The intensity of the bile threatening to rise in her mouth, bile that immortals simply don't have, is only matched by the blackness forming at her eyes. _Cara... _The tears flow freely now_. __Is this what you...What you wanted me to see? That you have chosen another...a female...but that..., she_ stifles a devastating sob,.._it isn't me?_

She vanishes then, unable to bear the sight any longer. Her heart has shattered in the name of Cara Mason for the last time. No longer will it be shattered in such away again; she won't let it.

IIII

Will makes his way toward King Zombie standing at a gravesite. Nicknamed "the graveyard of life" by some of their fold, it certainly fits. The gravesite is not the type of graveyard any of them are used to. Flowers and various types of green shrubbery adorn the ground, berries and other such fruit exists at bushes and trees respectively. Even the scent proliferating through the air is what humans would describe as "pleasant."

"The decoys were a success, my king." He steps beside a chanting Leisar holding a scroll over fresh graves.

"Good. If all goes well, shall the Flamer and her followers never discover that 'boy' and 'girl' they bested were howlings and not the genuine articles."

Howlings, as any zombie knows, are recently deceased souls — powerful witches and warlocks — willing to impersonate other recently deceased souls in exchange for a second chance at life. A most valuable asset to the zombie community.

The two in question were essentially clones of the humans Leisar and his 'men' had brutally murdered Saturday night. The howlings' blood was mixed with the victims' to give them solid form and/or longer-lasting appearances.

But the actual bodies lie in the ground now.

"Let us welcome the true champions." Leisar stretches the scroll above the graves of Anataling Burial Ground. All of the undead around him kneel. "Rise, my champions. Rise," he speaks to bubbling soil.

And suddenly, a hand extends from one of the graves, clawing its way out, a body emerging afterward.

"Welcome...Richard."

The second grave follows suit.

"Welcome...Dahlia."

Their arrival is late, but that ceases to matter now.

IIII

Cara jets up, knocking Tanya to the floor in the process.

"What's wrong?" the red-head looks up at her. "We haven't even gotten to the good part. I want to be your first lesbian experience, damn it."

Aside from the fact that Tanya is even in her room, Cara isn't sure what's wrong. She just knows that the wound at her abdomen aches. And something feels very, very "off."

IIII

The naked and shivering humans, so different in appearance than the bodies used as their vessels, look up at Leisar, disoriented and lost.

Leisar grins.


	14. INTERLUDE 2

**Notes**: I'm still working on the new and improved _Blue Paradise_. This update is just something to hold off my readers in the meantime. I'm not sure if it will make you guys even more frustrated or give you some kind of relief, or both, given what happened at the end of Episode 4. But this idea came about when thinking of having Cara and Kahlan meet in the dream world (see the summary). I have also posted snippets of two upcoming stories (see my LiveJournal account for that). The first one will officially start after _Fire Ignited_ is finished (which should be within the next month or two). The second one, I'm not sure. Oh, and if interested in watching a lesbian love story you possibly have not yet seen, refer to my post about _Las Aparicio_ (also at LiveJournal) .  
**Moving on: This update is not Episode 5**. **It**** is an interlude**, which often means :An entertainment between the acts of a play. But since this is not a play, it means "an intervening or interruptive period, space, or event **:** interval." Not sure how many more interludes I'll write of this story, or if I'll even write more, but here is the second.

**Summary: **After the incident with Tanya, Cara and Kahlan meet in the dream world. You know how in dreams there is something that you want to say or do...but just can't? How you are doing one thing one minute, and then something completely different the next? Cara and Kahlan face this.

IIII

Cara hears her...sees her...crying in the corner there.

In this room of white, with its contradictory smell and disjointed atmosphere. Contradictory because it smells like the outside, and disjointed because it's half-enclosed and half-free. Cara sees that now. The pool behind her, the sky above her, the wind blowing past her — all enclosed within walls that shouldn't be. A contradictory, disjointed world.

Not a room at all.

But this is of hardly any concern to Cara, for a dark-haired beauty is unraveling in the corner before her.

"Kahlan." She watches the woman's back heave, sobs suddenly coming to a halt. "What's wrong?"

Kahlan turns to her, wiping at tear-stained eyes. "You chose her."

Cara notices that the woman is in a white top and shorts, and that she — by contrast — stands in a blood-red version of the attire.

Both are barefoot, and the floor feels intermittently cold and hot to the touch.

"Chose who?" Cara asks, brows furrowing.

"Tanya!" Kahlan says it with such disdain that Cara almost cringes.

"Kahlan, I didn't choose, Tanya." She moves closer, touching the woman by the shoulder.

"I saw you."

"How?"

"I..." Kahlan looks to the floor, ripples occasionally flowing through it. She could have sworn she had the answer just a few moments ago. "I don't know."

"That doesn't make any sense." Cara cranes her neck in an attempt to get Kahlan to look at her.

"Neither does your saying you didn't choose Tanya." Kahlan's eyes finally meet hers. "If you didn't choose her, then why were you with her?... Kissing her...loving her?"

Cara frowns.

"You asked me there so that I would see," the brunette accuses.

"Kahlan, no!" Cara rakes hands through her blond hair frustratedly, noticing how her locks are shoulder-length instead of halfway down her back.

_Odd,_ she thinks, caught up in this jarring change.

But Kahlan's words bring her back to the moment: "Then why were you with her?"

Cara stares at the woman, at a loss for what to say. She doesn't know why she can't just tell Kahlan the reason she was with the red-head. Why she no longer remembers the reason. She remembered a few moments ago. "What you saw couldn't have been real," she reasons. "I need you to trust me, Kahlan, okay? It's not Tanya I want."

"Oh so it's me then?" Kahlan steps behind the Mord-Sith.

"Yes, it you!" Cara spins to see her heading toward the pool.

Kahlan sits at the edge, feet sliding into the cool water. Cara follows, doing the same.

"I feel like I should I be angry with you," the brunette presses on, "but right now...I can't be. I have these images in my head of you...with her, but I don't know how I came by such images. And then you say what I saw wasn't the case at all... And, well," Kahlan looks to her, "I believe you... In this environment, wherever we are," she looks around, "...I believe you."

"I feel it too...like I should be acting differently," Cara sighs. "Like I should be attempting to give you a better explanation... But," her eyes skip over the area, "in this environment, wherever we are...I can't."

"Hmm." Kahlan nods, looking into the water.

Silence envelops them...until...

"I've never had a true love, Cara." Kahlan's shoulders rise and fall with that revelation.

"Neither have I," Cara responds eagerly, almost jokingly.

Kahlan's eyes land on her then, a sad radiance behind them. "And that would of course include me."

"No... I didn't mean it like that." Cara bites on her bottom lip, looking to the floor and back up again. "I don't know how I feel about you, Kahlan."

Kahlan nods.

"No. I do...," Cara continues, "but I... The love thing... I don't understand it."

"Because you're scared."

"No." Cara frowns. "Never been scared of anything."

"Except for telling your mother that -"

"- I'm not gay," Cara interrupts. "I've felt things for Bobby, and other boys too."

Kahlan smirks, slowly scooting closer to the Mord-Sith until their shoulders bump. "Oh no?" Her lips find purchase at Cara's throat, causing Cara to jump a little.

Cara does her best to relax, but Kahlan isn't making it easy. "When your body responds like this to mine, what do you call it?" the brunette speaks between kisses. "Has it ever responded like this to anyone else's?"

"No." Cara grunts, pulling back to stare the woman in the eyes. "But like I told you before...I'm heteroflexible."

Kahlan laughs.

Heartily.

In fact, she laughs so much so that Cara scoots back a little, folding arms across her chest in a huff.

"Cara, don't be like that," Kahlan calls after her.

"I'm tired of all this sexuality-talk. Hell, I'm tired of all this talk, period." She looks out into the whiteness, scoffing. "Who needs it?"

"Cara...I'm just saying... If you're anything, it's your introduced term of 'homoflexible.' To hear you tell it, you don't believe in bisexuality when a person favors one sex over the other. Yet you clearly favor women over men... So...if you can't be called bisexual because there isn't an equal attraction to both men and women, and you can't be called gay because there is sexual attraction to both, then would that not make you homoflexible?" Kahlan arches a brow. "You once told me that heteroflexible people are straight people who will occasionally engage in sexual activity with the same sex. If that's true... Then the way I see it - by your way of describing things - you are a gay person who will occasionally engage in sexual activity with the opposite sex."

"Why do I have to be classified as anything?"

"Why indeed?" Kahlan crawls toward her.

Cara leans back on her elbows, looking up at the woman as she approaches. "And what about you, Kahlan? I notice you said 'never' when speaking of your search for true love. How do you classify not only that, but your sexual identity?"

Kahlan's eyes zero in, assessing and reassessing every contour of Cara's face. "I don't believe I have a preference," she says, moving to reclaim Cara's neck. "I've been with men...women...but never thought about which I like best." Her tongue swipes along Cara's jawline. "And...to be completely honest, I never had much of a chance to."

"Every...one," Cara starts, fighting against the pleasure sweeping through her body, at least until she gets answers, "has a preference."

Kahlan pulls back, watching...waiting...before declaring, "I prefer you then."

Cara examines Kahlan — the lust and adoration in her eyes — and can no longer see a reason to hold out. "Can I kiss you, Kahlan?" she inquires.

Kahlan smiles. "You would ask?"

"I want to kiss you. I mean really kiss you. And I felt it best to make sure that it's what we both want. That you're okay with it too."

"I'm okay with it, Cara." There's a note of humor to her voice.

Cara seems to come to life then, instantly moving in to make contact.

But the atmosphere changes. Kahlan is no longer beside her. The area is blurred, and it's a tad bit warmer than before.

Cara immediately stands, seeing that she is now in underwear, nothing but panties and a short-sleeved top. "Kahlan!" she calls out.

"Over here," a voice echoes nearby.

Cara looks ahead, seeing Kahlan lying on a satin-sheet bed several feet away. Dressed in nothing but black, barely-there lingerie, Cara feels her heart constrict at the sight. "Kahlan..." She takes a step forward. "How'd you... Did you teleport?"

"No," Kahlan giggles, bending a leg to rest skyward. "Come here." She gestures with a finger.

Cara grins, quickly attempting to rid herself of her shirt.

"Nuh-uh," Kahlan tells her. "I want to undress you."

Cara halts, stone-faced.

There is a moment of silence, and then Cara is moving toward the bed, expression unreadable.

It's an expression Kahlan fears — so much like the Mord-Sith of the past; so unpredictable of the Cara of today.

"You will be letting me touch you?" Cara asks, more of a demand than a question, getting on the edge of the bed.

Kahlan feels herself tremble, skin seemingly on fire as much as anything Cara has set ablaze, and she tries to anchor herself. It's not just fear Cara's gaze is inciting in her, but excitement. "Yes, Cara," she answers.

"Why now?" The Flamer kneels upright on the mattress, gaze dragging along Kahlan's form. The full, expansive cleavage, the way the lace-top opens in a slit over sheer bottoms...allowing for a view that makes Cara's breath hitch. "Why not in the locker room or before?" she asks, feeling heat pooling at her core.

Kahlan's sex. It's not that Cara hasn't fantasized about the brunette's most intimate parts before. But this time it's real. Present before her and somewhat visible by the black, sheer bottoms not doing much to obscure the delicate flesh. Cara can see the folds, the way they push against the fabric.

_Real this time indeed_, she inhales, feeling a tremor run through her body.

_So this is what it means to be truly sexually excited. To want your body to meet with someone else's more than just for pleasure, but for an otherwise unattainable level of intimacy._

There is nothing Cara wants more than to crawl between Kahlan's legs, to view the woman's desire up-close, to explore it in whatever way deemed pleasurable.

But something is...

...disjointed.

Kahlan sits up, chest heaving, pale breasts threatening to spill out of their confines. She just wishes Cara would touch her already. "Because we're here," she finally answers, breathing it more than saying it. "With no obstacles, no excuses."

Kahlan's voice is sincere, and it pulls at Cara's heartstrings.

"Because I'm willing to trust you when you say you're ready," she finishes.

Cara looks away, to the woman's legs instead, hand dragging along a slender calf. "Are they always this soft?" she whispers.

Kahlan closes her eyes, biting into her bottom lip, torso scooting a little closer. Her center is throbbing painfully now. She just needs Cara to give it some relief. If only a little.

As soon as she thinks it, though, Cara is there. Between her legs. Body against hers. "I think about you, Kahlan," floats a whisper against her ear.

"Cara..." Kahlan utters, face burying into the Mord-Sith's neck. "It's been so long since I've... You make me feel..."

"Kiss me, Kahlan."

As Kahlan pulls back to do so, the atmosphere changes.

Cara and Kahlan are no longer where they were before, but instead sitting on the ledge of a cliff. An expanse of water stretching as far as the eye can see below; a sky blending pink and orange hues against blue above.

"How'd -"

"- Looks like we're on an island," Cara answers, shrugging.

"Cara, we were just..." Kahlan's hands encircle Cara's waist, mouth attempting to nibble the woman's earlobe, but there isn't much a response.

She sighs, pulling back to take in the scenery. "Yes, I know. Eshaness, Shetland Isles...in Scotland." She abruptly looks down, slightly alarmed to find that she and Cara are back in the summer attire they started out with. "I've been here many times." She looks up at the Mord-Sith, who appears engrossed in the scenery.

"So many parts of the world," Cara responds. "...Think I'd like to see them."

Kahlan smiles, intertwining their fingers. "Well, you can do that with me."

"Really?" Cara turns to the brunette, suddenly earnest in appearance...like a kid in a candy store.

"Yes, really." Kahlan pulls tan fingers to her lips, light kisses following afterward. "That's one of the benefits of having a teleporting immortal as a lover."

Her insecurities get the better of her then.

"I am your lover, aren't I, Cara?"

"Of course, Kahlan." Cara touches a hand to the woman's face. "I mean...I want you to be."

Kahlan grins.

Cara's forehead produces brief worry lines. "But why did you stop?"

"Why did...?" Kahlan's eyebrows knit into confusion as well.

"Moments ago, we were about to make love, but you stopped."

"I didn't, Cara."

"You wouldn't even kiss me."

"Cara."

This isn't right. Something's screwing with them. Making things difficult for her and Cara.

"Cara, I tried," she says.

"Hmm." The Flamer shrugs, looking back out toward the ocean. "I assumed that maybe...you thought I was too young. That you were repulsed in some way."

"Spirits, no, Cara."

The blond woman looks to her...curiously. "What is it when you say 'spirits'?"

Kahlan laughs. "It's just an expression. The equivalent to saying 'my god." She nudges Cara with her leg. "And you've seen the visuals. The past Kahlan was apparently quite fond of saying it."

Cara nods her understanding. After a few moments, she pulls Kahlan against her so that the former's back is supported by her chest. "Do you think something's trying to keep us apart?" she asks, arms securing themselves at Kahlan's waist.

Kahlan snatches up a flower to the side. "For years, it felt like something was trying to keep me from finding genuine love." She pokes at the petals. "The type of love people write stories about. Sing about... It got to a point where I didn't think I deserved it."

"Yes, you mentioned that before. The deserving part."

Kahlan's eyes focus on the ocean, enchantingly blue and reflecting back at her. "I was a valuable commodity, Cara."

"In what way?"

"Many ways... Not the best of ways... Ways that would take longer to explain." Her lips curve into a sad smile, eyes looking up into green ones. "I fear telling you all of it."

"You can tell me, Kahlan." Cara gives her a light squeeze. "We have all day."

The mostly pink/orange-tinted sky signals the setting of the sun, and Cara's gaze directs there. "Or night." She smiles.

Kahlan follows Cara's line of vision, placing the flower to her side before beginning to speak.

Though the words are undoubtedly leaving her mouth, it's safe to say that they aren't being heard. Kahlan isn't sure why she continues on. Perhaps because this cloak of silence allows her to confess as much as she wants without ever being understood? Perhaps because she's just hoping she will be understood?

Moments pass by, with the sunset, ocean and chirping birds to admire.

"Kahlan...why aren't you saying anything?"

"But I am, Cara. Don't you hear me?"

"I feel you." Cara looks out toward the sky. "Everywhere I am, I feel you, Kahlan." She kisses the brunette's cheek, and a lone tear streams there afterward. It isn't clear whether it's Cara's or Kahlan's, nor does it matter.

"Are you always this gentle?" Kahlan asks.

"Not if you don't want me to be."

Kahlan feels a light bite at her shoulder, and giggles. "I pegged you as someone who would never be open to cuddling," she says. "This being a big part of your past self and all."

"Emphasis on 'past'." Cara grins against her shoulder, using lips and teeth to yank down fabric and reveal bare flesh.

"Oh really?"

"Do I have to bend you over this cliff and show you?"

Kahlan laughs.

"I feel like we should be talking about something important," Cara says, nibbling at her skin, "like 'the pull' we supposedly lost, Hyper's increased powers, or why you acted so strangely the night you slept in my room."

Kahlan squeezes the Mord-Sith's hand then. Minutes ago, she'd been trying to tell Cara exactly that — why she'd acted that way. But of course the words hadn't materialized. "That you're gentle is important, Cara." Her eyes rest on where she presses her mate's hand. "I haven't known gentleness often."

Cara sits up, frowning.

Kahlan continues, "As for 'the pull,' it was only the sexual aspect we lost, remember?" She looks up at her, a reluctant smile forming afterward. "And I dare say we've gotten that back."

"Kahlan, I want you to know that no matter what you've endured in the past, you deserve love." Cara's frown has deepened. "Even if I can't give it to you."

Kahlan reaches up and straightens out the creases plaguing Cara's forehead, before turning to her completely. "You want to talk about something very important?" She pulls her half-a-heart necklace from under her shirt, then reaches to pull Cara's complementary piece as well, interlocking the halves together. "No matter what happens from here on out, I want you to know that you have my heart, Cara. You are my heart."

"What does that mean, Kahlan?" Cara looks to the joined pieces, seeing them start to fade. "Aren't we going to be together forever now?"

There is silence. She sees Kahlan looking to her with sorrowful eyes. Eyes that are far too sad to belong to anyone. As the necklaces disintegrate.

"Kahlan!"

"It means..."

IIII

Cara and Kahlan jet up in their respective bedrooms, breaths rapid, bodies sweating, mouths uttering each other's names.

IIII

Cara grasps at the necklace at her throat, relieved to find that it's actually there and not a disintegrating mess as it had been in her dream.

_A dream._

_Of course it was a dream_, Cara sighs, getting out of her bed and wishing that her time with Tanya just hours before had been a dream as well. At least she hadn't had sex with the red-head. Everything else, she'll worry about later.

But for now...

She walks to stare out her window, hands going to rake through her long blond hair. Temporarily startled by the contrast between it and the shorter style she sported in her dream, she studies it before her eyes return to the dark scenery outside. "What does that mean, Kahlan?" she whispers to her opaque surroundings, hand grasping at the necklace adorning her throat_._

IIII

Kahlan stands in the moonlight by her window, clutching at the robe covering her body.

Looking from the dark morning sky to the half-a-heart necklace sparkling on the desk several feet away, she whispers, "It means goodbye."

"And that I love you."


	15. EPISODE 5, PART 1

**Episode 5:** **"Underappreciated and Taken For Granted"**

IIII**  
**

**TEASER**

Richard and Dahlia sit at the kitchen table of their home eating cereal. It is a decent place, complete with all the things any typical home would have. But Richard and Dahlia can't quite connect it to themselves.

"You're my sister?" Richard asks, wiping some milk from his mouth.

"And you're my brother?" Dahlia asks.

With single nods from each other, they go back to eating their meals.

IIII

"So they have zero memory of who they are?" Will Turzing queries. He stands in the zombie graveyard's underground sanctuary, examining his human form caused by the existence of daylight outside; he looks in a mirror behind the zombie king before looking back at the holographic imagery of Richard and Dahlia.

"Oh, the memories are there," says Leisar, veins violently pulsating along his burned, dead skin, red eyes remaining fixated on the screen. "They simply have yet to to be reawakened. While their memories of being extracted from their graves only hours ago have been erased, it has no bearing on their extensive lack of knowledge regarding their identities." He sits back on his golden-and-bronze looking furniture, which matches the golden and bronze armor he dons.

Two female zombies, also naturally in their human form, polish the armor at either side of him, using foreign-looking spiky cloths.

"And the moment they remember," Will states, "I presume Armageddon will happen... And if neither pairing — "the destined two"and "the rightful two" — is terminated, both will be taken away by the power. " He runs a hand through his dark hair. "It will be as though Cara Mason never existed, which will render the power center useless for any new Flamer that will reside here."

"Indeed." Leisar sneers, pulling out a knife to cut at a piece of flesh on his hand. "An army of the undead multiplying here first, without any threat of being sufficiently stopped, and then expanding to other cities...countries. It will be the ultimate breeding ground."

Making a slit into his skin, he holds one hand up to let a stream of blood drip from his palm, offering the red liquid to either of the female zombies at his side, who greedily drink it up. "It seems that the absence of Richard and Dahlia's memories about who they truly are has disrupted the dimension's ability to recognize that two sets of chosen ones exist when only one set should. Either way, if they don't remember in a timely fashion - "

"- They will diminish the bond between Mason and Amnell in the meantime," Will presumes.

"Yes..." Leisar confirms. "Once they arrive at the school as the earnest students we've programmed them into believing they are, they will be unable to resist gravitating toward their past loves, for these bonds are deeply-rooted." He waves a hand over the screen, and it zeros in on what look to be ankle monitors on the ankles of Richard and Dahlia.

"So those are the devices the witch used to implant their new memories?" Will asks.

"Those devices," Leisar answers, lowering his palm away from his insatiable minions, "are like the most brilliant of leeches; they must stay attached to their hosts long enough for the new memories to become so engrained that they can only be eradicated by the true memories returning. And, in this case, they will also keep the hosts true appearances from being revealed. Instead of the original faces we have seen, others will see the faces of the bodies that were used to resurrect them."

The ankle monitors temporarily transform into black, slug-like creatures before returning back to their solid electronic form.

"Richard and Dahlia bonding with their respective loves should speed up their memory process, which means that shall I win no matter what route is taken," Leisar assures.

"You can't have them kill the Mord-Sith and anchor, even under your control, because they aren't permitted to do evil," Will says, as if in awe. "It's not what the rebelling members of the Youngster's circle positioned them for." He looks back to Leisar, narrowing his eyes. "But the prophets of that time - the ones who foresaw that two legendary heroes would be needed to combat the zombie infestation of today - they had to have known about this. That you would get hold of the alternate pair." He looks back to the screen. "So how do you know that your plan isn't also something they foresaw and that you are playing right into what they wanted?"

Leisar grins. "If prophets can see everything at any time, then they had to have known that the betrayers of the Youngster's circle would seek to summon their own champions, would they not? And, knowing this, would they have not warned the other members of the Youngster's circle?"

Will ponders this.

"Either prophets can't see everything at any time or they neglected to impart this information."

"Or, as I stated, my king, this was all a part of their plan."

"Then I suppose we'll have to wait and see." Leisar's eyes glow with intensity.

IIII

Cara stands in front of her bedroom mirror assessing the cut on her abdomen. It's Wednesday, one day after she and the group defeated "the rightful two." That the cut still hasn't healed is quite peculiar, given her body's ability of swiftly healing itself. She'd thought that the presence of "the rightful two" caused her wound's slow repair. But with this not being the case, other ideas as to what could be causing it are non-existent. She makes a mental note to alert Blondes and Asher of this, as she'd been meaning to do.

It is ten minutes later when she enters the kitchen, dressed for school, backpack thrown over her shoulder, as she moves beside her mother who is preparing a meal at the stove.

"Hi, honey," Dainera says, flipping a pancake.

Like usual, Cara can barely think about eating. Her concerns are with Kahlan, why the woman didn't show up last night, what to do about Tanya and the blackmail, and how to tell Kahlan about her feelings. She'd had her confession all planned out last night, but now...

"Ma?" she questions, leaning against the counter. "How do you know you're in love?"

Dainera pauses abruptly, ceasing her cooking as she turns to look at Cara with an odd expression. "In all the years I've known you, you've never been interested in such a topic."

"It's just -" Cara looks down, clearly perturbed.

Dainera cuts off the stove, grabbing a nearby towel to wipe her hands. "Cara..." She moves closer. "With your father, it was -"

"I don't want to talk about him." Cara's eyes snap sharply, a warning.

Dainera raises her hands midway into the air as if to signal that Cara should relax. "Honey, you asked me about love... Your father was the only man I was in love with."

Cara carefully studies her mother's features before once again looking to the floor, a sigh escaping her lips. "I just don't understand how you continue loving him, even long after he's dead. " She looks up at the woman. "He hit you, ma. He hit you and I never knew about it. Not until it was too late."

"And that wasn't your fault, Cara." Dainera places her hands on the blonde's shoulders. "The bruises were nothing that I couldn't hide with makeup, and it wasn't anything you were supposed to deal with."

"But you're my mother, and -"

"- And you're my daughter. You come first... Protecting you comes first, Cara," Dainera emphasizes with a nod. "Maybe I should have left the situation altogether. But your father wasn't all bad, you know that. He had his demons. And I'm not condoning his actions. But you want to know how I continue loving him? I remember the good in him."

Cara watches her mother, seeing the absolute pain emanating from those green-blue eyes so like her own, and decides that it's best not to press the issue.

"There are no correct signs for knowing when you're in love, Cara. Everyone's different," Dainera continues. "You just know. Or at least you think you know at the time. It all becomes clear eventually. The fact that you're even asking is a likely indicator that you know already." She smiles. "And while there are no correct signs for knowing, there are common ones - thinking about him all day, your heart doing that fluttering thing whenever he's around, your eyes being unable to stop focusing on him, that connection with him that you can't quite at first identify, how he makes you feel like anything is possible...and that you can't imagine your world without him..."

Cara smiles, and — briefly looking out the window at her left — decides that she knows the feeling. With the exception of the "he" and "him" parts, her mother's description is on-target.

"That's how I'd say you know," Dainera finishes with a smile. "And if there's a boy who makes my daughter feel this way, I'd say bring him on by because he's practically family already." She pulls Cara into a tight hug. "You're still a virgin, right?"

"Yeah, ma."

"Good because you should wait 'til marriage. And if not then, and even though I strongly advise against sex before that point, make sure to protect yourself like I told you. No STDs. No children." She tightens their hug, eyes bulging with concern.

Cara enjoys this, her grin widening, although she's not quite sure why her grin has doubled in size...considering that her mother has just framed her entire attraction in a fairytale heterosexual romance. But putting that aside, her eyes briefly shut closed; it's not often that she's this affectionate — with her mother, with anyone.

"Wait..." Dainera says, pulling back slightly. "This person you think you're in love with... It's not Bobby is it?"

Cara bursts into laughter. Her mother is wearing the most absolute horrified expression she has ever seen, and it tickles her to no end to know that it's not virginity loss, a sexually transmitted infection/disease or pregnancy that her mother appears most terrified of.

No...that her child may be in love with Bobby Alderson has incited that fear.

"No, ma," Cara assures, "it's not him."

"Good," Dainera replies, pulling her daughter back into a comforting hug.

IIII

At D'Hara High, three teenage girls sit on a bench in the crowded courtyard discussing the two most popular girls in school — Cara and Kahlan.

"Nah, I'd rather have Kahlan's hair. And I think she's taken over Cara's reign as the most well-known girl in school," one of the girls, smacking on potato chips, says.

"Yeah, I'm favoring Kahlan too," another says, looking ahead and spotting Cara walking across the field. "Speaking of..."

As the other two spot the blonde, the final of the trio sighs. "She definitely doesn't look as lively as she used to."

It's almost as though Cara hears them when she stops in the middle of the campus. But it's the feeling of being persistently watched that causes her to stop. She looks back and notices the three girls staring in her direction. A few awkward looks transpire between the four of them, but nothing so outstanding to delay Cara any further. She continues on with her route.

The girls smile, almost as though they've won some sort of staring contest.

"Let's skip school," one of them suggests.

The other two agree, and they gather their belongings.

Just as Cara is about to refocus her attention on the three peculiar women, her head already craning back around, an arm is pulling her toward a corner of the school; it's Tanya, directing her elsewhere, and Cara sees the trio leave before angrily focusing on the red-head.

"What do you think you were doing last night?" Tanya says through gritted teeth, green eyes blazing, one finger pressed against Cara's lips to silence her. "Kicking me out of your room last night...when we were in the middle of... Are you asking me to play that recording in front of the whole school?"

Cara knocks Tanya's hands away, distancing herself by just an inch. "I'm not going to be blackmailed by some slutty bitch," she snipes. "By any bitch."

Tanya folds her arms across her chest. "That's not how it seemed for a good ten minutes there," she challenges. "I seem to remember your thigh pressed against a very delicate place."

Cara shakes her head as if trying to shrug off the memory. "That was before I came to my senses," she retorts. Her eyes scan the courtyard, watching students converse, pass by, etc., before refocusing on Tanya. "Since when are you into women anyway?" she whispers.

"I'm not," Tanya says, moving closer. She watches as Cara flinches, but not before the blonde's wary eyes take in the ample cleavage of the gray shirt completing her pants suit.

Tanya had meant business today, and accordingly felt that she might as well dress like it. Smirking, she drags a hand along Cara's face. "But there's something about you." Her eyes sparkle with an emotion that intrigues the blonde...if only for a second. "And I've been bi-curious for some time now; apparently, we both have."

"Are you trying to draw attention to us?" Cara grounds out, taking a step back. "And, anyway, I also have Bobby to worry about; he knows, too."

Tanya bats her eyelashes. "I'm pretty sure that I can handle Bobby. As for attention being drawn to us... Cara, we're popular. Attention is always drawn to us." She nods to the side for emphasis, directing Cara's gaze to the good number of people already analyzing their actions. "I can easily explain away that touch to your face just now," she says. "But what's on this cellphone?" She pulls out the incriminating electronic. "You really want to try explaining that away?"

Cara moves very close. And when she speaks, it as though her entire voice is on-edge. "What's wrong, Tanya? Slept with so many guys here so many damn times that it's not enough for you to get your rocks off anymore? Now you have to force your enemies to share your bed?" She looks the red-head over, sneering. "Never figured you for a rapist."

That line seems to hit Tanya right where it hurts and she looks away, watching a couple canoodling by a water fountain.

Cara grins. "Go ahead and tell everyone here about me and Kahlan. I'd rather put up with what follows that than spend a night between your crab-infested legs." She turns and starts to stalk off.

"And your mother," Tanya says, visibly shaking even as she does. "Would you rather put up with what follows that discussion? Everyone in town knows just how homophobic your mother is." She moves to where Cara stands. "Deny me...and I will not hesitate to divulge the aforementioned information to her," she practically spits, bumping shoulders with Cara as she moves to her ear. "And if you dare speak a word of this to Kahlan, the same will result."

She walks ahead, never looking back.

IIII

Tanya finds Bobby in the senior parkway. He gets out of his car with a somber look on his face, and it doesn't take much to discern that it's Cara's interest in Kahlan that has him looking like he's just been informed that he only has six months to live. His usually kempt, black hair is tousled...his heavy, blue eyes reflect that he hasn't gotten much sleep, and his clothes — wrinkled and modest — look as though they were thrown on without much thought.

"Bobby!" Tanya exclaims, hurriedly moving toward him and stopping in his personal space. He shuts his car door and turns to look at her.

"I know that you know about Cara and Kahlan," she says. "Cara told me."

Bobby sneers, his expression half disbelieving. "Cara...told you?" He scoffs. "Then she's taken a stronger turn toward the crazy than I originally thought."

"Listen," Tanya says, "I'm in front of you now to make sure that you don't say anything."

Bobby laughs incredulously. "Me say anything? I would rather die than have everyone know that my girlfrie-...," he pauses, struck by how untrue that last term is now. "Cara chose that dyke over me," he finally says, looking Tanya up and down. "And why do you care if I 'out' her anyway. Unless..."

The truth of it all hits him, how Tanya has always seemed to have a thing for Cara...even when he wasn't sure what that 'thing' was. "You're dyking it up with Cara too."

Tanya furrows her brows, her expression telling him all he needs to know.

"Unbelievable!" Bobby angrily grounds out before stalking off.

IIII

When Cara approaches Blondes and the rest of her crew on the playground, several minutes after her standoff with Tanya, her mood is irritable at best; downright depressing at worst. But that changes when she sees Kahlan.

Gicko is sitting on a bench watching Blondes work over something at a holographic screen. And Kahlan, breasts nearly spilling out of the brown top she's wearing, legs crossed in a most provocative skirt, sits at an opposite bench. She's engrossed in whatever it is that is written on the papers she intermittently scribbles on while reading.

"Hey, Cara..." Gicko says, looking over his shoulder at her. "Asher's away dealing with his own Flamer while Blondes tries to figure out the extension of Hyper's power. He's taken a DNA sample and everything. And Amber... Well, he says she's out on business too."

"Cara...nice of you to join us this morning," Blondes comments, looking over at her, then back to his holographic screen.

"It's not like she's never joined us in the mornings, Blondes," Gicko says with a roll of his eyes.

Cara ignores them both. Focused on Kahlan, she immediately walks to the brunette. And peering down at her, eyes briefly skimming over the exposed skin of her crossed legs, she puts on a smile before returning hopeful green eyes to the woman's face. "Hi, Kahlan."

When there isn't a response, because Kahlan is apparently pretending that Cara isn't there, Cara bends over and places hands at either side of the woman so that her palms are against the bench. "I said 'Hi'," she repeats.

Kahlan looks up at her, first at the half-a-heart necklace dangling from her neck, then at the desirable bee-stung lips...and finally at the confused and frustrated face. "Yes?" she queries.

Cara would focus on Kahlan's indifferent attitude, but Kahlan's previous attention to her necklace has drawn her to the fact that there's no sign that the brunette is wearing the counterpart. "Where's your necklace?" Cara questions.

Kahlan stares for a moment, as if to ponder, then goes back to looking over her papers.

Cara grunts. "Excuse us," she offers to Gicko and Blondes before pulling the woman to her feet and moving with her to a corner some feet away. "What's going on, Kahlan? Why didn't you meet me last night? I...," she pauses. "I had important things to tell you."

Kahlan stares at the firm hand on her arm until it's removed. Only then does she focus on Cara's gaze. "You know very well why I didn't meet you last night." She folds the papers, tucking them and the pen into her cloak.

For a second, Cara experiences déjà vu — what she felt in the dream of the two of them together. "Kahlan..." she utters softly, dragging a hand along the brunette's face.

Kahlan looks perplexed, her mind and heart conflicted by the interest and gentleness Cara is showing her now. Interest and gentleness that so contradicts what she saw last night while gazing through Cara's window. But she, too, thinks of the dream.

Their moment, however, is interrupted by the sound of Blondes clearing his throat. "Cara," he says,"...Kahlan...we need you over here, please."

It is then that Kahlan stares at Cara with a stone-faced expression. "It's best that we keep a strictly platonic relationship. I'm your anchor only," she asserts, walking past Cara a second later.

Cara fixates on a nearby tree before sighing; not sure how to react, except to follow Blonde's orders, she moves to where the others wait. "What is it?" she asks.

Blondes briefly looks to the three of them, focusing back on the holographic screen soon after. "I need you and Kahlan to join more classes together."

"Why?" Cara inquires.

"And isn't it too late to class-hop?" Gicko ponders, still peering at them from the bench.

"With as desperate as King Zombie must be, the dead's activity will no doubt increase in the upcoming days." Blondes nods assertively. "This last battle was a great loss to him, as great as the loss of Raising Ground. I can only imagine what else he has up his sleeve, and I'll feel more comfortable if both Flamer and anchor are sharing as many classes as possible."

Cara and Kahlan exchange awkward glances.

Gicko smirks.

Blondes continues on, "This way, shall an attack happen at school, we'll be better equipped. During a threat, even just waiting seconds for Cara and Kahlan to get within the same space could prove too long. And this will also allow for a restrengthening of their bond. " He looks from his screen to observe the two. "It is amazing that they have managed to build it back up from scratch. Well, not entirely, mind you. But to have the sexual energy flow again between them so intensely, without even having consummated their... Well, it's marvelous."

Cara blushes.

Kahlan couldn't look more unfazed if she tried. She narrows her gaze on the holographic screen while it shows a red wave of energy mingling with a white one. "Keeping tabs on us, are you?"

Apparently, Blondes had been using one of his gadgets — this one with the ability to zero in on all kinds of energies — to secretly measure sexual levels between Cara and Kahlan for weeks.

Blondes shrugs.

Gicko appears fascinated by the energy show. "Ooh, pretty," he says.

"Well, since you undoubtedly acquired that energy spike weeks ago, judging by the time stamp, as well as the current status of my relationship with Cara," Kahlan continues, "it's best to inform you that the spike is undoubtedly no longer that high. Indeed, Cara and I have decided that it's in our best interests to keep sexual energy, as you call it, out of this relationship."

Cara looks as though she's about to protest, but ends up grinding her jaw in barely concealed agitation instead.

"So it shouldn't be long before that energy spike declines," Kahlan adds.

"I see," Blondes replies, feeling that it's better not to press the issue. He temporarily looks to the grass, thinking how lovely it is in contrast to the animosity between Cara and Kahlan. "As for classes...I can perhaps only get you into one more together. If you had to choose, which class would it be?"

Cara responds, "Drama" just as Kahlan responds, "Anatomy." The two look at each other oddly, while Blondes looks to them as though he's already decided.

"Say...," Gicko cuts in, "any of you know where Hyper is?"

IIII

Hyper hadn't expected to get a car before her upcoming birthday. She hadn't expected to get one at all. But here she is, in her own vehicle, not Cara's or a bus, driving down a shortcut path to school. With her music blaring and hair blowing against a wound-down window, she's quite enjoying herself and has already wasted fifteen minutes driving down various routes. There's something so adult, so independent, about not having to depend on others to take you from place to place.

But her enjoyment is spoiled when she comes upon a slightly wrecked car halfway in the street; it's evidently hit a statue that was placed in a front yard near a flowerbed. And beside the car are three teenage girls arguing; unbeknownst to Hyper, these are the three girls Cara saw earlier in the day.

Hyper pulls her car to a stop along the sidewalk, getting out a second later to get answers. From what the girls are discussing, she doesn't have to ponder for long.

"You're the one who wasn't paying attention to the road, too caught up in discussing your boyfriend," one girl accuses.

"You were the ones arguing with me," the driver fires back.

Hyper approaches the three, hands waving in peace. "Anything I can do to help?"

"There's nothing any of you can do to help," a voice suddenly filters through the air.

Hyper and the other girls turn to their right to see a young woman standing on the doorstep of a neighboring house.

"Not only is the old lady who lives there very protective of that statue, but she's quite insane," the woman says, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it to take a hard drag. "She goes on and on about about how that statue there has the ability to make the most under-appreciated people suddenly very appreciated. But that it's not without a price. Said it worked for her countless times in her life, but always came with a price."

She takes a step back, narrowing her eyes. "As someone who grew up around here, I can tell you that there were always rumors that the old lady was practicing witchcraft."

Hyper's body language quickly becomes alert at that revelation, but she says nothing.

The other girls move closer to each other.

"You want my advice?" the woman asks. "Seeing as the old hag is currently out, I suggest you get back into your cars and get the hell away from here." She closes her screen door, taking another hard drag on her cigarette. "That's all I can offer you."

The solid door closes after that.

Hyper and the girls stare at the crumbled statue; it was an image of a muscled naked guy, with an apple in one hand, and a serpent in the other. His head lies next to the side walk, body from neck to waist is beside a tree, and the rest of him is still a part of the original statue platform.

"Let's get out of here," the trio's driver says, hurrying into the car with the other two girls.

Hyper looks to the three with a clearly appalled expression, but ends up giving the statue a second look before getting back into her vehicle as well. She doesn't know what to make of the story they were just told, but she does know that this isn't her problem. Considering her fight with 'the rightful two' last night, she's also beyond tired of serpents.

As they all drive off, none of them see the bolts of light jetting from the eyes of the statue and into their cars.

**ACT 1**

People watch as Richard and Dahlia walk down the hallway. They figure that the gorgeous couple must be romantically involved. And that with their designer clothes — Richard in black slacks, a shirt and tie; Dahlia in a strapless hot pink dress — they must be rich as well. Whatever the case, the students know that they are most assuredly new to the area.

Richard and Dahlia smile wide, seeming to nod toward any attention as they move ahead.

IIII

Cara sits in her quantum physics class wondering how it is that Blondes managed to get Gicko and Hyper in here with her and Kahlan. She also wonders why he felt the need to have all of them in any class together. Yes, of course, he'd made known the threat of King Zombie's likely desperation, but he'd also seemed convinced that just her and Kahlan being in more classes together was sufficient enough.

_There goes my theory about Blondes only doing this to try and make Kahlan and I 'happen,_' she sighs.

Looking around, she doesn't see Hyper, but she does see the aforementioned brunette sitting a few rows away; Kahlan isn't looking at her, and that that the woman seemingly has no desire to do so, instead staring straight ahead, is upsetting to Cara in more ways than one. She can't imagine what she did to deserve this distance that Kahlan is putting between them.

"Any idea where Hyper is?" a voice pulls her out of her thoughts. It's Gicko, to her left, and he looks anxious as he sits in a desk close beside her.

"No," Cara whispers back, turning to him. "It's definitely unusual that she's been late twice today - first at the playground and now here."

"Well, the bell hasn't rung yet, so that's something."

"Yeah, but you know Hyper. She's right on time even for the credits at movies," Cara points out.

"True" Gicko sighs. "Maybe she's busy making out with Amber." His features immediately change to a sullen expression, body slouching in his chair, and Cara can't help but feel sorry for him.

"Gicko...," she says, treading cautiously, "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. It can't be easy for you - seeing Hyper with Amber."

"It isn't." He sits up abruptly. "Do you know...that I've been in love with her for maybe...all my life? I was just too stubborn to pursue the romance when she was chasing after me." He plays with the eraser on his desk. "I don't know why it turned out like this. That I think of you like a sister... A sister I occasionally find hot."

Cara laughs.

"But with Hyper, it's...," he pauses, scrubbing the side of the desk with the eraser.

"I think I understand," Cara says, briefly offering a glance Kahlan's way, but the brunette's eyes are still focused straight ahead.

Gicko smiles. "That's one reason I think I'm so much for you and Kahlan being together," he whispers, looking up at Cara. "How is it going between you two, really? All that talk earlier about keeping sexual energy out of your relationship, she wasn't serious, was she?"

"Gicko...Kahlan has super hearing," Cara whispers back, avoiding his question.

"She does?" His eyebrows arch hysterically as he peeps over at the brunette.

"Yes. And although it doesn't seem that she has much interest in focusing on me at all these days, you can imagine why I'd rather not discuss -"

"- I get it," he says with finality. "I mean, there's also the fact that you're pretty stagnant when talking about your feelings. But I get it," he assures, trying to get a better look at Kahlan.

"Don't look!" Cara scolds him, though still in a hushed tone.

"Right," he says, turning back to face straight ahead. But he doesn't stay that way for long, seeing Hyper approaching them.

"Hi, all," she says stopping in front of Gicko with a wide smile for him and Cara.

"Hyper..." Cara begins, more curious than chatty, "you're never late. You even missed homeroom."

"Homeroom is outdated," Hyper asserts with a shrug.

Gicko studies the blonde as if he doesn't know her; Cara is also studying her. That is, until she notices that the entire class, with the exception of Kahlan, is as well.

"Hey, Hyper," one boy calls out from the back, "you know...I never stated it enough before, but you're just as hot as Cara, Kahlan and some of the other girls around here. I don't understand why you aren't more popular."

Other people in the room agree, and even Kahlan is looking their way.

Cara and Gicko exchange alarming glares, not because it isn't true that Hyper is very physically attractive but because of how everyone else is suddenly so interested in her.

"Why don't you come back here and sit with us?" the boy says, pointing to himself and two other guys at either side of him.

"Why don't I?" Hyper shrugs, easily moving toward the back.

Gicko almost grabs at her. "Hyp - Hyper." He looks to Cara, who offers her own shrug. And they watch as Hyper makes herself comfortable in the other boy's lap.

Even stranger is what Cara sees at the window to her left; the trio of girls who were staring at her earlier are there, now staring at Hyper while giggling and making goofy faces. Hyper winks at them, and then the girls are suddenly gone. Cara turns to see if Gicko saw, but he's focusing on Hyper; she does catch Kahlan's gaze moving from the window back to Hyper, however.

There is a lot of commotion going on when Mr. Tanner enters the room, apparently from a bathroom break. He quiets the class down, flipping his hair back as the bell rings. When he notices Hyper in the back, standing out like a sore thumb, he offers her a concentrated stare. Looking at a note of names on his desk, his eyes return back to lock on hers soon afterward. "Ms...O'Connor," he says. "You are welcome to take Mr. Owen's seat if you so desire it. Mr. Owens will get by just fine taking your seat."

The boy, Dusty Owens, protests, "But Mr. Tanner..."

Mr. Tanner simply nods to Hyper's seat, which is present behind Gicko's; Dusty and Hyper slowly stand so that he can move to where he's been newly assigned. "And, oh...Ms. O'Connor...I'm not certain how you and," he pauses, looking over the note again, "and Mr. Gicko Danes have been permitted into my classroom. But people with your intellect can be assured that you will always get an A."

Hyper smiles, taking her seat as Mr. Tanner starts to scribble something on the dry-erase board.

Cara and Gicko exchange questioning looks once again, just as Kahlan briefly gazes their way and narrows her eyes at this development. Never has Mr. Tanner been one to suggest that a grade A can come so easily; he always stresses that even the smartest of people must study, exercise their brains, practice their craft. That every A is earned. But with the way he'd just spoken to Hyper, it was as if he was stating that he would give her an A under any circumstance. Gicko only knew about the man's legendary work ethic because of Cara's descriptions of him, relaying to both Gicko and Hyper that he's a perfectionist of sorts. And Kahlan had researched Cara enough to know how the teacher functions.

Whatever any of them are thinking at this moment, it is interrupted by the opening of the classroom door. A young man enters, looking just as dashing as he did in the hallway. And as he does, Cara and Kahlan feel an immediate, inexplicable draw to him — as though something has tapped into their blood supply and invaded every cell. They stare at this man, this man who, unbeknownst to them, is Richard Cypher — the brave and caring ally they knew in their past life. Where he'd represented a friend and lover to Kahlan, he'd represented a friend and leader to Cara. And while their current bonds aren't clear, Cara knows that this is a person she will never be able to hate. He is, for all truthfulness, a remarkably charming fellow.

As he moves to Mr. Tanner, handing him a note, and is introduced as Rick Callum, Cara can see that Kahlan clearly feels the same as her. More so even. For she has never seen Kahlan look at anyone like that her but her.

His eyes lock with Kahlan's first; the look is eerily similar to the way Kahlan had gazed at her the first time they laid eyes on each other. And then his eyes are on Cara, soft and brown, and somehow authoritative, before focusing back on Kahlan.

Cara doesn't know what to make of any of this, but she knows that she doesn't like it.

IIII

After Mr. Tanner's class, Cara stores utensils in her locker in the hallway. Closing its door, the feeling from before envelops her again — that familiar connection tying her to emotions that are somehow foreign. But the connection also differs from before.

When she turns to her right, it isn't Rick Callum that she sees, but rather a stunning light-haired young woman with pale eyes and skin, and ruby-red lips.

"I'm, Dana," Dahlia says with a grin. "Dana Callum. I'm rather new here and seem to have forgotten to bring a pen or pencil. Got a spare?" She leans against the side of the locker, eyeing Cara through playful, narrow eyes. "Oh," she says, abruptly standing straight to offer her hand in greeting.

_Callum_?, Cara thinks. _Like Rick Callum_? She stares at the girl. Unlike her usual gazes, which are either suspicious or predatory, the look she gives Dahlia is one of intrigue; her eyes scan over the expensive hot pink dress the girl has on, right down to the matching stilettos. "I'm Cara," she says, shaking the girl's hand. The shake lasts far longer than it should, which earns a grin from Dahlia; Cara extracts a pen from her locker. "That's the good thing about this school," she adds. "Pens are not only perfectly fine to use, but encouraged here."

"I'll keep that in mind," Dahlia replies, fingers lightly caressing Cara's as she grasps the writing utensil. "Thanks. I'll see you around." She moves ahead and Cara watches her toss a brief glance back.

The peace and calm she feels by simply watching this new, alluring student saunter down the hallway is perplexing. But it is instantly shaken by the laughter of another alluring female — Kahlan. Cara looks in the opposite direction and spots the brunette some feet away against a locker socializing quite energetically with new boy Rick. She even intermittently places a hand on his shoulder. Cara's never heard Kahlan laugh quite like that, or be so carefree, with anyone but her.

Before she can entirely succumb to the pit forming in her stomach at this display, a light grasp encloses around her arm. "Come. Let's go," she hears a voice say.

It's Tanya, and the red-head has apparently been watching the exchange as well; she's attempting to escort Cara as far away from the view as possible. "I've got a surprise for you," she says.

Cara doesn't know why exactly she lets Tanya usher her down the hall, but she does. And by the time Kahlan looks in their direction, the brunette sees what are unmistakably the backs of Cara and Tanya before they disappear behind a corner.

Eyes narrowing briefly, she turns back to enjoy her company.

IIII

"Why are we here?" Cara asks, looking around as she sits on a blanket with food and soda splayed out perfectly before her in front of the school.

It's lunch break, and students have the choice of socializing and eating in front of campus if they so desire. Tanya has decided to take full advantage of this, chewing slowly on a green grape as she sits opposite Cara while students occupy other open or secluded areas. "We're here to go to school," she answers with a grin.

"You know what I mean," Cara snipes, briefly looking out into the distance.

"I've been thinking about what you stated," Tanya admits, sitting up from a more relaxed state. "About forcing you into sex. I don't want that, Cara. I want you to want me."

Cara looks at her with interest.

"I've decided that I'm still going to hold on to the recording, and will of course expose you if it means keeping you away from Kahlan...and with me instead," Tanya adds. "But having sex with me should be your option." She smiles. "That's the surprise I wanted to present to you. That, and this lovely picnic." She picks up some bread and cheese from her left.

Cara is dumbfounded. That the woman can state that it's her option to have sex, but that her very freedom is negotiable, boggles the mind. But that's what spending time with Tanya is liked, she figures — mind-boggling insanity. "Gee, thanks," she replies sarcastically, snatching up a chip in front of them.

"Well, it's not like Kahlan's waiting in the wings for you," Tanya retorts with a nod to her left. "She seems to be moving on rather nicely to me, which will allow us time to bond...without all the drama."

Cara notices the direction of Tanya's nod and sees Kahlan in the distance, walking arm-in-arm with Rick as they move inside one part of the building from another.

"Think about it," Tanya says.

Cara bites hard into an apple, eyes focused on where Kahlan has retreated with Rick.

IIII

Kahlan is in an empty classroom packing up her things when Tanya approaches. She's so engrossed with thoughts of the new student who has enthralled her that she almost doesn't hear Tanya's footsteps.

"How does it feel to lose?" Tanya asks.

Kahlan turns to find the red-head leaning against the doorway, filing her nails nonchalantly. Her expression is both one of indifference and gloating, if at all simultaneously possible. "Excuse me?" Kahlan questions.

Tanya stands straight. "I said...how does it feel to lose," she repeats, folding her arms across her chest. "Cara, of course. Although if you ask me, you never deserved her in the first place." She shrugs.

Kahlan is at first dumfounded, her heart telling her to ignore what her mind is telling her is true. "She... Cara told you about us?" A hard swallow suddenly makes her throat feel dry.

Tanya arches an eyebrow as if that answers everything.

And, actually, it does.

Kahlan should have seen this coming, the eventual catty talk with the girlfriend, should have listened in on Cara's picnic so that she could have been better prepared for this. No doubt they'd been planning this confrontation. But Kahlan had resigned herself to never listening in on Cara's personal matters again, not unless ordered by Blondes or Asher themselves. Not only due to ethics, but because listening in means that she keeps a level of intimacy with Cara that she's better off without. And yet, if she had just taken the time to assess their conversation, she's sure that she wouldn't have been ambushed like this.

The very reality of it, all of it, angers her and she doesn't bother hiding this anger from Tanya, offering the woman a frown.

"But, really...what do you care?" Tanya adds.

Kahlan slings her purse over her shoulder and moves toward the door just as Tanya throws in a final quip: "You know what I mean...your looking all cozy with Rick today and all."

Kahlan temporarily halts, but doesn't look back before continuing out the doorway.

Tanya smirks. It's just what she'd hoped for. Kahlan will confront Cara, and Cara won't be able to do a thing to combat the assertions that are sure to follow. That is, unless she wants her secret all over D'Hara High and reaching her mother thereafter.

IIII

Sitting on a rock outside school by a group of trees, Cara squints as she watches Gicko debate with Hyper about Aphrodite, the goddess of love, only for him to be ignored by her every four or so seconds later. Ignored because Amber's also here, and she and Hyper can't keep their hands off each other, going into repeated make-out sessions.

Cara doesn't know where Amber's been all day, but she knows that she's never seen either her or Hyper act this way before in each other's presence. Being gone for part of the day is hardly a reason for them to appear as though they haven't seen each other in ages. Nor is it a reason to reveal their same-sex romance in such an emphatic, public way. Amber is even saying that she hasn't given Hyper the attention she deserves and that it's this realization that made her rush back to Hyper's side.

It isn't just Hyper and Amber acting strangely either. It's the way that everyone on campus is looking at Hyper, almost as though she's the most important being in this world.

Cara remembers when she herself was the only one who received looks like that. And even then, all eyes hadn't been on her, except for the first day of each school year. And never were looks as intense as the ones Hyper is receiving now.

Cara exchanges a glance with Gicko, and it's clear that he sees this as well: Something is terribly amiss here.

If Cara weren't so focused on just how amiss things are, she'd be deeply focused on just how groundbreaking it is that same-sex kissing is happening so publicly at this school...and without any condemnation. She wonders if that - the two people kissing so passionately, without abandon - could have been her and Kahlan. But before she can find herself drowning in these thoughts, an angry voice sounds off to her left, growling her name.

Cara instantly turns, seeing Kahlan quickly approaching her. She stands, observing the woman's fierce scowl that is every bit as threatening as a lioness zeroing in on a live meal.

Cara doesn't react fast enough for what happens next; one of Kahlan's hands whips across her face, and the slap is hard enough to catch the attention of all the bystanders. They issue a collective "ooh," but their eyes remain strangely fixated on Hyper.

Gicko stands slowly, eyes carefully trying to assess what is going on.

Hyper pauses her make-out session with Amber, looking to the side at Cara and Kahlan, but Amber continues tonguing her neck.

Cara watches Kahlan with alarm, one hand pressed against the bruise Kahlan has left on her cheek.

"The next time you decide to share personal details about me and want me to know that you did, tell me yourself," Kahlan states between gritted teeth. "Don't send your...," she pauses, thinking better of revealing things in their current surroundings. "Don't send someone else to do it. Especially when that someone is a most inappropriate messenger."

With the way Kahlan is looking at her, Cara's expression changes from one of astonishment and confusion to one of great concern.

"Tanya," Kahlan clarifies, although the look on Cara's face tells her that clarification wasn't necessary. She turns and leaves after that.

"Kahlan!" Cara calls after her. As she moves to follow, Hyper grabs her by the arm; Cara looks back at the blonde questioningly. The look that Hyper gives her is one of understanding and one of a person who doesn't know what to say.

Hyper looks to Amber instead, who is currently nibbling at her throat. "Amber," she says. "You saw that, right? Surely, you have some advice for Cara...on what to do about Kahlan...given that you're both immortal and have the same type of stern thinking?"

Amber continues applying kisses.

"Amber?" Hyper repeats, pushing the woman away gently.

Amber sighs heavily, removing a pistol and its holster from her right thigh; she still has two other pistols on the leg and three on her left. "Here," she says, moving to Cara and slamming the chosen weapon against the blonde's chest. "Tell her it's a gift from me and insist that she try it on and test it out immediately, to make sure that it's a good fit." She moves back to Hyper, pulling her close. "Oh... But make sure that you try it on her." With a wink, she goes back to kissing Hyper's throat; Hyper offers an apologetic shrug to Cara, who looks quite baffled.

Gicko smirks, and it only deepens as the Flamer practically stomps away from the front of the campus.

IIII

Cara finds Kahlan in the school's dark room, the same dark room they'd almost had sex in when Cara was under the "Dart of Vengeance" spell. She's not entirely certain how she knew to look here, but she figures that she knows Kahlan a lot better than either of them thinks.

Then again, she has developed some sort of sensory bond with the woman. Before, it was always that Kahlan could sense her. But now, it's almost like she can sense Kahlan even with the faintest of signals. "Kahlan," she says, watching the brunette, whose back is to her, stiffen while leaning over a desk.

She closes the door, locking it before taking a step closer. "Kahlan," she repeats.

"That's the way you wanted me to find out that you're with someone else? And Tanya of all people?" Kahlan grounds out, shoulders temporarily shaking as her hands rest against the desk she leans over.

"What? No!" Cara protests.

"Or is it that you wanted to rub it in since you were certain that I already knew this information?" Kahlan turns around, one eyebrow arched. She folds her arms across her chest and leans against the desk with an exasperated expression.

"Why would I be certain of that?" Cara queries, taking a step closer.

"Don't play games with me, Cara."

Cara holds up her hands as if to surrender. "Just...just give me some time to explain and show you -"

"- Show me what?!"

Cara looks to the holster and pistol in her hand, which seems to only now catch Kahlan's attention. She decides this is as good a time as any to carry out Amber's advice.

"Amber," she says, "...made it seem like you should try this on right away."

"What?" Kahlan's look of befuddlement is priceless. "Is that why you even showed up here, to have me try on some weapon?"

"Just...," Cara tries to continue, moving swiftly to Kahlan, as the woman continues to rattle on about how this discussion isn't important to the blonde.

Cara bends down, instantly moving aside the cloak covering the brunette's legs. She has a haunch what Amber has intended, but isn't sure of it until her touch reaches Kahlan.

There is an immediate jolt of energy radiating between Cara's fingers and Kahlan's right thigh. Cara absentmindedly caresses the flesh there, and Kahlan's sudden gasp is all the confirmation she needs to know that the brunette feels it too.

This always happens between them now when they touch — an overwhelming feeling of being emotionally and physically connected — but especially when touching each other in such intimate ways.

And Cara knows that this is what Amber was banking on.

She fastens the holster — pistol secured within it — slowly. "I, uh...I guess maybe like Amber's other guns, there's something special about this weapon. Perhaps Blondes and Asher felt that it was urgent that you have it with you as soon as possible."

She looks up, only to find that the prominent scowl that once dominated Kahlan's face has been replaced by a barely subdued expression of lust; the gaze is darkened, lips slightly parted. Kahlan is eyeing her as though she would love nothing more than to undress her.

Cara can feel it. She can feel every pulsating wave of energy that flows between them; it's as if each spark speaks to her. But she can't hear Kahlan's thoughts, doesn't know how Kahlan feels beyond this connection, and so it frustrates her.

She watches Kahlan's eyes shut closed, head lifting skyward. And when the brunette's teeth sink into her bottom lip, she understands that Kahlan is also frustrated. This thing between them is beyond their control, this intensified bond created by the attraction they'd initially felt for each other. Recreated in its now reemerging, possibly stronger form. But though emotional, it is primal and sexual at its core, and Cara knows that it doesn't mean that either of them cares about each other beyond this.

She wants to know that Kahlan truly cares. Wants to know that they're certain that it's not just the pull, in its previous or current format, that has confused Kahlan into thinking that she wants or needs Cara.

After all, Cara is certain that it's not only sexual attraction that has made her want a romantic relationship with Kahlan.

"Kahlan...," she says, moving along the woman's body as she slowly stands; one hand remains at the strong, uncovered thigh. "This pistol...it... Sure to make a great addition," she whispers somewhat incoherently, head settling beside Kahlan's ear, fingers inching above the holster and circling warm, flushed skin.

Kahlan takes in a concentrated breath, teeth still biting into her bottom lip, as she tries to fight the energy surging between them. She pulls back only a little, eyes opening to watch Cara admire her body. The blonde isn't at all subtle, first looking at the place where they are joined — Cara's fingers resting at her inner thigh — then at the taut abdomen that is apparent even beneath dark clothing, then at breasts threatening to spill from their confinements, and finally...at the intrigued face looking back at her own equally intrigued expression.

Cara can only smile. Her fingers move provocatively close to Kahlan's sex. But as soon as they do, she feels the brunette squeezing her arms and pushing her away at arms length.

"Cara, you're with Tanya. And you've apparently discussed with her the fact that you and I... that we've..." Kahlan pauses, her frustration and anger flaring up again. "Together, you probably laughed about all the times you and I came this close to bedding each other only to have one of us back away. That we were never truly an item because of that."

Cara hears what Kahlan is saying. Of course she does. But it sounds distant, as though it's being drowned out by her ever-increasing attraction to the woman.

"You've chosen Tanya, humiliated me just to make it clear that you've chosen her... And now you're here with me so that we can, what, have some illicit affair? Is that what you're after? The thrill?... God, Cara, what kind of person are you?"

Cara knows that she should tell Kahlan that the relationship with Tanya is all a lie, but she can't stop thinking about the consequences. Such as how her mother will react if Tanya makes good on her threat. She also can't ignore how angry she's becoming at the fact that Kahlan doesn't have more faith in her. That Kahlan could think she would just switch to another woman, Tanya of all people, after all they've been through together...expressed to each other. That she could go as far as to accuse her of being a cheater and getting a thrill out of it. Even with Bobby, Cara hadn't meant to be as intimate with Kahlan as she had been. Hadn't liked hurting Bobby.

"And you and Rick?" she fires back. "Kind of difficult not to notice how wet you get just by looking at him."

Kahlan's jaw tightens. And she withdraws her hands from Cara's shoulders. "He's attractive, yes."

"Yes...you find him attractive, you mean," Cara grinds out.

Kahlan takes a step back, once again folding her arms across her chest. "That shouldn't matter to you, now should it? You want your cake and to eat it too, I've realized that. But the diner is closed."

They stand there, staring at each other for what seems like eternity before Cara smirks. It's as rude a smirk as one can bolster. "Realization? You never cared about me. How's that for a realization?"

Kahlan cocks her head challengingly. "And look who's talking."

Cara's smirk fades, and there is silence. Until...she turns to retreat, swiftly unlocking the door.

"And Cara?" Kahlan inquires, seeing the blonde refusing to even turn back to face her. "Make certain that you never touch me like that again. We can try to be comrades, but that is all."

Cara yanks open the door and slams it with her exit.

If she had looked back just once, she would have seen the tears streaking Kahlan's face.

IIII

When Cara storms down the empty hall, she thinks she's encountered enough strangeness for the day. But what she sees next merely adds on to the already tough day she's had.

In the intersecting hallway, equally empty, she sees Hyper talking to herself. Cara can't make out what is being said, but Hyper seems to be truly engrossed in the conversation. She looks from side to side, speaking with a completely imaginary person or persons.

But as soon as this oddity starts, it's over. And then Hyper is walking down the hallway, her back to Cara. And as she does, the malfunctioned hallway lights — the lights that haven't been working in the school for days — suddenly flick on, one by one, as though lighting a path.

Cara furrows her brows. Now, not only does she have to worry about the craziness going on with Kahlan, but a whole nother level of craziness with Hyper. "Women," she sighs.


	16. EPISODE 5, PART 2

**ACT 2**

Cara experiences more weirdness when she finds Bobby and Kahlan among the sixteen or so students in her drama class. It's easy to guess how Kahlan got there — Blondes. But as to Bobby's presence, she has no clue. While he does have high social power, it's unlikely that any student has the power to attend any class they choose. She notices Bobby and the drama teacher, Mr. Lombardo, exchange glances.

_What are you up to?_ she wonders of Bobby. After the interaction they had last night, that she turned him down for Kahlan, she can't believe that he would want to be anywhere near her.

She looks across the room to Kahlan, who sits on the far left side of the room away from her. It's similar to their sitting arrangement in Mr. Tanner's class, with Kahlan a few feet ahead of her, except Kahlan sits on the far right side in there.

The class is discussing what type of play they can put on for the school — historical or modern. And it isn't long before Cara figures out Bobby's reason for being in the class. When the students suggest that they put on a typical _Romeo and Juliet_ play, Bobby suggests making it not so typical. He believes that Cara should play Romeo and Kahlan should play Juliet, or vice versa, as long as the school shows some diversity by going with a format that isn't traditional. He suggests it with a smirk, and the class is initially unsure as to whether he's serious or joking. But Cara knows he's serious. He wants to exploit her attraction to Kahlan, make it somehow apparent to everyone without expressing it himself. He wants to embarrass her, make her feel guilty, open her up for ridicule, including from her mother.

Cara sees Kahlan's shoulders stiffen, as the class eventually considers Bobby's suggestion to be valid. It is Bobby Alderson, suggesting it after all; his opinion carries an extraordinary amount of weight in this school, no matter the topic.

Cara listens to the students debate whether she should portray Romeo as a man or as a woman. She listens, and she cringes. Cringes at it all, except for the fact that this development will allow her to be close to Kahlan...in all sorts of desirable ways.

IIII

After school is over, Cara heads to the outside track, having promised Coach Rustand that she'd be there to show moral support to her future teammates. She hadn't been able to catch up with Kahlan quick enough after Mr. Lombardo's class. As for Bobby, it'd made no sense that he could have known Kahlan would be in the same class as her. And it still makes no sense. He must have spotted Kahlan on her way to Lombardo's class, and, seeing that, his plan materialized.

Cara moves to sit on the bleachers as the other girls, including Becky, give her a warm welcome before continuing to be pushed to the limit by Coach Rustand. Gicko arrives at about the same time, taking a seat beside her. Instantly, she and Gicko spot Hyper approaching with the group of girls Cara saw earlier — in the courtyard and when peeping in through Mr. Tanner's class windows. The girls move beside the bleachers, to the far right, without Hyper so much as looking at Cara or Gicko. However, the runners, and even Coach Rustand, stop track activity to glare at them. There's absolute silence before one of the girls beside Hyper states that Hyper should be on the track team because her skills surpass all others. Hyper seems to ponder this before replying, "I suppose you're right. It might even be correct to say that the other runners should bow down to me."

"Damn straight, we're right," one of the three emphasizes.

Coach Rustand and the runners seem to agree, nodding their heads in almost a trance-like state. Cara even sees Becky nodding, and the sight is immediately too much for her to take. As she rises from her seat, prominent scowl directed at Hyper, Gicko grabs her arm. "Let me handle it," he says, eyes also focused on Hyper and the trio.

He marches off the bleachers and to the side to face her. "Hyper," he nearly growls, "what is up with you? You've been acting strange all day, and then you show up here just so you can insult the track team?"

Hyper looks up from the trio to Gicko's stunned and upset face, her expression quite innocent. "There is no track team yet. What's the matter, Gicko? You wanted me to mention you as one of the people I can outrun?" She briefly looks him over with a smirk. "Well, I would have...if you were at all athletic. You may have the body, but you're slower than my grandmother on her stroller."

The trio of girls laugh, which also provokes laughter from everyone else except for Cara, Hyper and Gicko. Cara watches from a distance, scowling, while Hyper looks up at Gicko with barely-restrained glee .

"Get back to me when you aren't such a bitch," Gicko states, turning away and marching past Cara.

Hyper shrugs. The trio interlock arms before two of them interlock arms with Hyper, forming a human chain. "Let's leave," one of them states.

"Let's," Hyper agrees, briefly bowing before everyone else and watching various eyes look at her with adoration.

Cara doesn't move. She simply watches them leave, more certain than ever that whoever this is...it isn't Hyper.

IIII

Hyper enters the liquor store with a sense of freedom. It's unlike the other time she's entered such stores, feeling like a slave to her alcoholism, like she'll die if she doesn't get one more taste. Those feelings often intersected with feelings of hopelessness and shame. Those feelings are so detached from her now, that she can hardly believe they emanated from the same person. Right now, she feels proud and hopeful as she stands in front a glass freezer with various alcoholic beverages to choose from. She feels entitled to drink what she wants, as if it is owed to her simply because she is who she is. For a brief moment, she wonders who she is, but the thought leaves her as quickly as it came. All she knows is that she is special. That all should bow to her.

The female trio, Hyper's newfound friends, flank either side of her body, choosing their own alcoholic brands. They speak of how all the drinks belong to her if she so desires, how they should be able to get by without use of the fake IDs they have brought with them.

Hyper smiles.

IIII

"You need to think," Cara says, as she and Gicko make their way down a hall leading to the school playground. "Hyper wouldn't act like that."

"I know, but -"

"- No, buts," Cara insists. "That isn't Hyper, but Blondes or Asher will tell us exactly who or what that is."

They exit out the door and move onto the playground; Blondes is uncharacteristically looking through books scattered on one of the tables, instead of through the holographic library.

"Blondes," Cara says, stopping in front of him, something's wrong with Hyper." Gicko moves at her side.

"Yes, I know," Blondes replies, still looking in his books. "Her power is enormous and she needs to find a better way of containing it."

"No, not that," Cara snipes. "I mean people are focusing on her no matter where she goes."

Blondes furrows his brows. "Well, she is attractive."

"But there's never been this type of focus on her before," Gicko chimes in.

"Or ever on me," Cara adds. "It's like a light switch has been flipped on and now people are paying attention to everything she does. Saying how they don't understand why they failed to notice her much before. Their focus, Blondes, it's obsession-like. Or...worship-like."

"Failed to notice her? Worship?" Blondes asks, rising from his seat to stand. He rubs a jumpy hand through his almost-completely-blond hair.

"What is it, Blondes?" Gicko asks. "You know what's affecting Hyper?"

"Maybe," he answers. "Has Hyper been around any strange people lately?"

"Define strange," Cara says. "But there has been a group of girls - a trio - hanging around Hyper. Acting like her fangirls almost."

"And what kind of girls are they? Personality-wise? Have people acted worship-like toward them as well?" Blondes queries.

"I don't know," Cara replies. "Never noticed them until today. But from what I have seen of their interaction with Hyper, they're the stuck-up type. Others focus on Hyper when the four of them are together. The trio seems to encourage that attention, as though Hyper deserves it and it's their job to make sure she gets it."

"I see," Blondes says, immediately walking toward the jungle gym bars to activate the playground's holographic screen.

"What are you doing?" Gicko asks.

"I'm going to look into this matter, of course. One of you should find out where Hyper was last night, and earlier this morning when she failed to show up on time. Wherever she was during one or both of those time frames likely holds the answer as to what happened to make her, and other people around her, act in the ways you've described."

IIII

Hyper can't control the steering wheel when she and her trio of female friends crash into a vehicle carrying a woman of about thirty years of age. It is surreal to her that this happened, and yet it doesn't fully register; it's distant, clouded by means she can't even begin to process. One clear thought breaks through, however - no pain. She and the other girls feel no pain from the crash. The state of their victim's body, however, tells of a different story with regard to what that women must have experienced.

**ACT 3**

Cara's and Gicko's visit to Hyper's home thirty minutes following their discussion with Blondes proves fruitless. When they meet up with Blondes a little later, the three of them decide to search for Hyper until nightfall. And then for longer. But the search is to no avail.

The following morning, they resolve that Hyper is with Amber, considering that both are missing and neither has shown up recently for one of the group's meetings; the last time they experienced such a predicament, Hyper and Amber were together. As to why neither of them are answering their phones, Cara and the others do not know, but there is not much that can be done about it. They carry on as usual, with the exception of staying alert to any new development as to Hyper and/or Amber's whereabouts.

In school, while Gicko actively queries people about when they've last seen Hyper, he receives all kinds of mournful responses as he does. Cara decides to focus her attention elsewhere; she confronts Bobby at his locker about the status of their relationship. "So we can't be friends now? You're determined to out me to the whole world?" she asks.

Bobby turns to her, eyes hard, as he slams his locker door. "You could say that I've just done us both a favor. I can see how much you want to be with Kahlan but apparently can't bring yourself to make the leap to commitment. And then there's the way Kahlan eyes that new guy...that pretty Ricky kid." Bobby sighs. "This way, via the play, you get Kahlan and the possibility of coming out to the school in a less shocking way by having them warm up to the idea. You understand?"

Cara frowns.

Bobby runs a frustrated hand through his jet black hair. "Seeing you makeout as Romeo and Juliet enough times will surely desensitize anyone's senses." He moves close, talking softer, a hint of anger still lacing his voice. "If you must know, however, I'd rather no one ever be privy to the fact that you prefer that bitch to me. With the play and all, you can be together without revealing a thing. Whatever it takes to get you two together already and out of my life." He moves past her without another word, headed down the hall.

Cara stands there, stunned. Bobby was such a big part of her life, short as that part was, that she isn't sure if she wants to run after him or leave him be. But all of those thoughts go by the wayside as soon as sees Kahlan pass her in the hall, stopping by a locker to put some things inside and retrieve utensils.

Cara catches up with her, stopping at her side. "Kahlan."

As usual, Kahlan ignores her, steadily organizing things in the locker.

Cara remains silent, staring intently. This has the desired effect, and, after several seconds, Kahlan finally answers: "What is it, Cara?" She turns to her.

"I've been thinking... I know things are complicated between us. Of course I know. But we've been assigned this project, a play, and are going to be working together." She pauses, briefly watching students pass by. "Intimately." Her eyes meet Kahlan's. "Don't you think it's best we attempt to make the performance less awkward?" She moves closer, eyes probing, and Kahlan takes a step back. "We should practice it. Come to my house after school."

Kahlan smirks, her skepticism clear. "Cara, I don't think that's a good -"

"- We'll have all afternoon until night to practice. And maybe even past that." She moves closer again, causing Kahlan's eyes to briefly lower to her lips. "I hate it that we've got this bad tension between us. Let's fix that... Come to my house today."

Cara doesn't have to repeat herself; Kahlan finishes with the locker, closing it and backing up with books in her hands. "Okay, Cara." Her eyes lower again, seemingly taking in all of Cara before she leaves abruptly.

Cara feels a tremor run through her; how it is that one look from Kahlan can be so exhilarating, she hasn't a clue. What she does know is that she wouldn't mind Kahlan looking at her like that more often.

IIII

Cara tries to remain calm when she opens her front to find Kahlan standing there. Kahlan looks as stunning as ever, this time only wearing jeans, a T-shirt and boots. The T-shirt is loose-fitting, but it complements her figure just as well. As Cara finishes appraising her, their gazes hold. Cara opens her mouth to speak, but while unable to urge words to follow, her mother interrupts, moving in front of her. "Kahlan, hi, nice to see you again. Cara told me you'd be over by evening," Dainera says. "Come on in, make yourself at home."

Cara watches as her mother practically drags Kahlan inside and past her as if she couldn't be anything more significant than a fly. Looking out into the neighborhood and sighing before closing the door, she reasons that this is going to be a long, tiring day.

Two hours later, the notion that it would be a tiring day has turned out to be an understatement; Dainera and Kahlan chat and laugh away like old childhood friends as they sit in the kitchen, seats across from Cara. They mostly discuss flowers, and Cara figures that it makes sense that Kahlan and her mother would be so chummy, given their mental ages and fondness for plant life. But while it's good to see her mother and Kahlan get along, if only because she intends for Kahlan to be as big a part of her life as her mother is, she wanted this time with Kahlan. And if the way Kahlan is staring at her is any indication, that's what Kahlan wanted as well; the brunette is intermittently sipping tea and staring at her with the most soul-searing of looks as she talks with Dainera. With each sip of the beverage, her eyes connect with Cara's and Cara feels a jolt of excitement; it's like Kahlan is secretly communicating with her, telling her that even though she is carrying on a conversation with Dainera, it's not Dainera she is truly with.

"...And so the seed just didn't sit well with that particular batch of soil, but was fine for all the other parts in the yard," Dainera carries on. "Isn't that odd, Kahlan?"

Knowing that she and Kahlan have had enough of the back-and-forth discussion, Cara loudly clears her throat. "Um, mom, Kahlan and I have a lot of studying to do. So if you'll excuse us." She rises, prompting Kahlan to rise as well, steadily making eye contact.

Dainera looks up at the two, clearly disappointed. "Yes, of course," she says with a slight smile. "Kahlan, we must do this again some time." She gives Kahlan's hand a light squeeze.

Kahlan smiles down at her, in awe of how the woman's serene, welcoming and vibrant attitude apparently contrasts the bigotry and hate she is known to spew. But Kahlan has seen many such facets of personality in her lifetime – people quite loving in one instant and quite unloving in the next. She thinks Cara might have one of those personalities.

Cara grabs Kahlan's hand, pulling her up the stairs. "Thanks for the meal, ma. Conversation too."

"Alright, dear." Dainera watches the two girls disappear from view. "Not like I have many options for conversational partners anyhow," she says to herself, getting up to clear the table.

IIII

Kahlan leans against the closed bedroom door inside of Cara's room, watching Cara rearrange a few things before placing a couple of a drama books on the bed; she is holding one small stack of stapled papers that catch Kahlan's eye. "So," Kahlan says pushing off the door to stand straight, "do you want to start with Act 1, Act 2, or what?"

Cara gestures for Kahlan to sit beside her on the bed; Kahlan does, but with apparent caution, briefly looking back toward the door as if she means to escape if need be.

"With these," Cara says, tossing the booklet of stapled papers to Kahlan.

Kahlan's brow furrows and she looks between Cara and the papers before finally deciding to focus on the latter, flipping through them. "'Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.' 'Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!' Give me my sin again.' 'And, lips, O you. The doors of breath, seal with a..." Kahlan sighs exasperatedly, looking up at Cara in an instant. "These are all kissing scenes!"

Cara scoots closer. "Yes, and this is the awkward aspect of the play we need to work out. What did you think I meant by 'intimately'? Why else did you show up here today?"

"Certainly not to kiss you!" Kahlan protests, moving to stand.

Cara pulls her back down before she can fully rise. "So you had something obscene in mind?" She arches her eyebrows suggestively. "You dirty girl."

Kahlan laughs, looking to the floor as she runs a hand through her dark hair, remembering that it is somewhat wavy as a result of having washed and dried it for this evening. "You are incorrigible." Her smile slowly starts to fade, and she raises her head to meet Cara's gaze, seeing the intensity there.

"You encourage me," Cara says softly, voice thick with emotion. "Here...let's try this one first." She takes the booklet out of Kahlan's hands to crease a page, then hands it back to her, immediately regaining eye contact.

Kahlan stutters, clearly at a loss for words; Cara staring at her so openly is unsettling. She grins nervously. "Just a peck, I suppose." She once again looks between the papers and Cara before settling on the papers. "'I will kiss thy lips. Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, To make me die with a restorative.'" As soon as Kahlan says these words, venturing to look up, she sees Cara's lips moving toward hers, and she blushes. "I'm supposed to kiss you," she responds, abruptly moving back. "The script, it -"

"- Then kiss me," Cara's breath is hot and welcoming on Kahlan's lips.

Kahlan suddenly feels lightheaded, locked in the drug-like atmosphere that is created whenever she is so near Cara...whenever Cara is enticingly provocative. This provocativeness affects her sense of reasoning. Makes her weak. For example, now... Even knowing that it is not a good idea, especially after having warned Cara not to make such intimate advances on her again, her desire gets the better of her and she touches her lips to the blonde's. An immediate jolt of energy surges through her body, synchronizing with her blood flow, raising her temperature.

Kahlan's lips are barely grazing Cara's, just rubbing there, testing, and yet there is so much power behind this simple gesture, the likes of which she has never felt with anyone else. Cara's lips are incredibly soft, so addictive to the touch, so inviting, that Kahlan can barely keep herself from deepening the kiss.

Cara, however, is not so willing to adhere to restraints. She wants more. With every second that her lips move over Kahlan's, she becomes hungrier, more lustful, for this woman before her. And this builds until she cannot take it any longer, finally slipping her tongue into Kahlan's mouth.

Kahlan gasps, a slight pause between the kisses, but eventually kisses back.

Cara grins, moving back only an inch to stare Kahlan in the eyes. She bites the woman's lower lip, sucking the flesh into her mouth a second later.

Kahlan moans, body instinctively moving closer to her mate. Her eyes are unsure whether or not to stay open or closed...almost as though they are afraid that this could turn out to be a dream at any moment. But their fears are calmed when Cara reclaims Kahlan's lips, once again deepening the kiss between them and coaxing her to kiss back with the same passion.

When Kahlan kisses back just as hard, tongue at last finding and mingling with Cara's, it is more than Cara can bear and she topples Kahlan to the mattress, kissing her as she would kiss any lover, sensual and thorough, and reveling in the moaning that escapes their lips. She has always wanted to kiss Kahlan like this, an acknowledgement made further evident by the arousal quickly pooling in her pants. She wants Kahlan to know of that arousal, to feel it, to taste it.

Cara pulls back to stare at Kahlan, amazed to see that the flush on her face is a glowing red. As she studies Kahlan's chest, the rise and fall of it, placing a hand to rest right above it, she sees that she is glowing with the same color. But Cara's desire is overwhelming, and she once again focuses on Kahlan's chest, the exposed flesh at its top.

Kahlan struggles to catch her breath; she feels frozen in disbelief as the intent in Cara's eyes becomes clear - to experience every inch of each other's bodies tonight. But before she can properly react, Cara's lips are at the top of her chest, kissing, tasting...before moving to her throat.

The moans reverberate between them, Kahlan wrapping her legs around Cara's waist and raising her head so that Cara may have better access to her throat. For so long she has wanted to this. To feel like this with someone. To feel like this, experience this closeness, with Cara.

Cara reclaims Kahlan's lips yet again.

When Cara's body crushes against Kahlan's in a way that Kahlan can feel the soft pressure of breasts against her own, causing her already soaked undergarments to soak further, she breaks the kiss, staring into Cara's eyes as her hands lazily trace up Cara's back and come to rest at either side of Cara's face. "What are we doing?" she whispers.

Cara's eyes only stay open for a moment to survey Kahlan's distracting question before she moves to nibble at Kahlan's earlobe. "Practicing for the play...you know," she utters, breath ragged. "Give me my sin again." She goes in for another kiss, but Kahlan stops her with a hand to her shoulder. _That damn annoying press to the shoulder._

"I believe we...we lost ourselves," Kahlan says, sitting up and shifting Cara's weight off of her.

Cara, now to Kahlan's side, watches as the brunette stands, looking nowhere in particular. But the look she shows is enough for Cara to see that Kahlan is frightened and that she will disappear into thin air at any moment. "Kahlan," she grabs one of the brunette's hands, looking up at her desperately, "please, don't do this. Please. We have a lot to talk about. Tanya... She... I don't -"

"- Why do you always do this to me, Cara?" Kahlan asks with such softness, such conviction, that if Kahlan were not already staring at her with tear-filled eyes and more contempt than one could think possible, those words alone would be enough to chill her to the bone.

In the next moment, Kahlan vanishes.

"Kahlan! But Tanya...I care nothing for her! It's you that I..."

Cara looks around the empty room. She hears her mother calling her name, but it sounds so surreal. Almost everything without Kahlan sounds and seems so surreal.

Thoughts flood her mind, but one more prominent than all others:_ Why does it always end like this? _


End file.
